Broken Halo: The Sound of Pulling Heaven Down
by Black Die
Summary: Angels and demons aren't supposed to fall in love. Try telling that to Bastion, who is inexplicably drawn to Chazz; Jaden, who hides a secret neither he nor Syrus knows; and Cienna, whose draw to Zane knows no bounds. CxBxC, SxJ, ZaneOC. AU.
1. Chapter 1: Holy Aura

Cali: HELLO EVERYBODY! *grin*

Cienna: ... Someone's had too much sugar.

Die: Actually, I think that person'd be Jaden...

Jaden: CHEETOS!

Cali: WHAT? WHERE? I WANT CHEETOS!

Cienna: Okay, so I guess Cali's into is up to me... this story is co-written by Cali OzeraKaulitz... who's currently on the hunt for Cheetos...

Die: Chazz, do the disclaimer!

Chazz: Why?

Die: BECAUSE I SAID SO! *shoots lazer beam from eyeballs*

Chazz: ... Neither Black Die nor Cali OzeraKaulitz own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter One: Holy Aura<p>

The girl stepped into place at Bastion's side, keeping an even stride. "Bastion Maisawa."

He looked at her oddly, narrowing his slate-gray eyes in confusion. "Yes?"

She peered at him with tawny eyes. "You cannot enter the Academy as a full angel. Your life will be your forfeit."

"What are you talking about? Haven Academy is the safest place in the Lower Realms for our kind!" His voice dropped down to a hiss, well-aware of all the ignorant humans surrounding them.

"Trust the advice of Gabriel." She said calmly, though a small smile twitched its way onto her face.

"Gabriel was a traitor and a fool."

Her smile grew. "Maybe, but he still knows more than you." She then shrugged. "However, the fate at stake is yours. It is your choice."

He threw her a glare, stopping at the gate. "You don't know anything about me. Why should I trust you?"

"I never said you should. But if you value your life, I'd suggest taking my advice."

He sighed heavily. "Well then, how do you suggest I get into the Academy, hmm? No demon in his right mind would pretend to be me, and I've already registered for Slipher."

She shrugged, reaching over and pulling a blur to her side. "Bastion Maisawa, meet Jaden Yuki."

The boy in question squirmed, whining, "Hey, I gotta get in there, I'm gonna be late for the deadline, and… oh it's you. What do you want _this_ time?"

She gave him an appraising look. "Hello, Jaden And _aside _from your idiocy, I need something from you."

"… If it's my virginity, I gotta say no, Cienna."

She shook her head, appearing minorly disgusted. "No, Jaden. Not even _remotely_ what I had in mind."

The boy cocked his head, showing off the orange part of his hair. "I'm listening."

"It's something you won't even notice, in fact. And you'll receive another. Just not your own." Her hold on the back of his jacket remained firm.

"What? What is it? I wanna know what it is!" The boy was bounding around inside her embrace, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Jaden." She sighed. "Calm down. It's just your aura."

His green eyes grew wide. "I've never done that before, how do you do that? How? How? How? How? _How_?"

Her hand moved to his arm, gripping it so tight that the blood stopped flowing. "Shut. Up."

Bastion groaned, slapping his forehead and peeking through his fingers. "I'm giving my aura to _this _guy? Gods, we're screwed."

"Hey!" Jaden protested, "I'll have you know I outlasted a squirrel in a staring contest!"

"Jaden… you're… an imbecile." She sighed. "It's only until we're out of school. I'll return your aura then."

Bastion nodded, looking Jaden over. "So what the hell are you?"

"He's half angel." Cienna cut in for him, brushing her hair from her face. "Just keep your wings hidden for as long as possible."

The black-haired male nodded. "Because Nephilim have smaller wings than angels, right?" he asked, wanting clarification on a fact he remembered gleaming off some moldy tome from a library.

"About half-sized, though Jaden's are a little bigger than most." She nodded. "Now can I do this? We do need to arrive on time."

He sighed. "Very well, Cienna. I'd rather not have to go home and explain to my parents why I missed out on attending the Academy after getting the highest score on the entrance exam in years."

She nodded, closing her eyes and muttering to herself in ancient Latin. Her body lifted a few feet off the ground. Bastion shuddered at the magic he could see but didn't interrupt, the veins inside his feathers making the shafts quiver slightly, a normal occurrence since his white feathers were normally extremely sensitive to magic.

Her eyes snapped open, their usual golden brown faded to black. Her voice was deeper with a husky echo to it, "It is done." With that, she dropped to the ground gently and when her eyes reopened, they were their usual color. "You should be fine."

Jaden looked down at himself. "I don't _feel_ any different. Are you sure it works?"

She gave him a firm glare. "You doubt me?"

"No no no no no," he reassured, his hands coming up defensively.

"Good. Now I suppose we should go." With a single glance back at the boys, she left them behind.

Bastion pulled his coat closer around him, turning to Jaden. "Well? Shall we?"

* * *

><p>Chazz flexed his large black wings from where they came out from a pair of slits cut in his blue uniform jacket. "You ready, Zane?" he asked, throwing a glance over his shoulder at his fellow demon.<p>

"I suppose." He replied, pushing himself away from the wall he leaned against.

Chazz smiled darkly. "I'm going to enjoy scaring the crap out of all those losers."

Zane laughed. "You always do."

* * *

><p>The little blue-haired boy bit his lip as he stood to the side of the arena, not really wanting to go to the school but also not wanting to face his older brother if he didn't make his way into the school.<p>

Cienna stood beside him, having wormed her way through the crowd to the front. She offered a small smile, immediately turning her attention to the Admins standing on the other side of the arena.

"Next," Zane called boredly, the worn bronze pentagram sitting in his hand, and firmly ignored the sounds of his partner Chazz pushing other children into a pool of holy water.

Cienna sighed when no one moved, most scared of the pain. She walked towards the dark haired male. She offered her hand, palm up. Preparing herself to bite down her screams.

He slapped the metal against her wrist, waiting patiently for a few moments before snatching it back. "Go over to Chazz," he directed with a jerk of his head. "Next."

She rolled her eyes, turning back to watch Jaden approach the male after her. She shook her head in pity. "He's gonna _die_." With that, she turned towards the raven-haired male. She stood at his side and watched the girl under the water wriggle in pain.

Chazz smirked at the new victim, stealing up behind her while she was distracted by the cry of "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL, ASSFUCK, THAT FUCKING HURTS LIKE FUCKING HELL?" Jaden could be quite eloquent when he was in pain.

She writhed under the water, forcing herself not to open her mouth and scream. After a few moments, she pushed herself out of the water. "Holy shit."

Chazz didn't even wait for her to get out before he shoved the other boy in from earlier, his large white wings falling open as he submerged and clung to her neck. She choked, scrambling to unhook his hands from her throat. "Dammit." She gasped. "Kid…"

"Can't swim!" he yelped, clinging tighter with his silver eyes wide.

Without warning, Jaden surfaced from behind them, spreading his wings out so that he could use them to help float. "Hi Cienna, who's your new boy-toy?"

She shot him a glare, "Jaden. Help me get him off me. _Now._"

"Fine, fine," the brunet grumbled, reaching around to support the other side of the small blue-haired boy.

"Chazz," Zane called, sounding vaguely interested, "you should probably let them clear out the pool before you push someone else in." The other black-haired demon shot him a glare out of black eyes but refrained from shoving another child in to join the three until after they were climbing up the ladder in the side.

She glowered at the raven-haired demon but instead turned her attention to the blue-haired boy, gaze softening a bit. "Who are you?"

"Syrus Truesdale," he confessed, leaning heavily on Jaden.

"Cienna Oliver." She replied. "And the idiot you're leaning against is Jaden Yuki."

"You have really small wings for an angel," Syrus murmured softly.

Cienna rolled her eyes. "Yeah. He's the runt of the litter." Her eyes fell to Chazz again, watching him push kids in with sadistic joy. She then looked in Zane's direction only to see Bastion making his way towards the pool. She breathed out slowly, "Oh Gods…"

Chazz froze when he saw the male walking over, the black and slate-gray eyes locking for a prolonged moment with enough heat to light a fuse. Suddenly, the demon snarled, launching himself at the angel and throwing them both into the pool with his hands around the other's neck, his black wings extended out behind them.

"No, dammit!" Cienna launched herself after them, diving into the water and wrenching them apart despite the burning sensation tearing at her skin. She dragged Bastion to the surface, heaving herself out of the pool before him.

"What the hell is _your _problem?" Bastion spat, coughing out some of the water that had gotten into his lungs. Chazz's answer took the form of another flying tackle into the pool.

Cienna glowered at the water for a moment. "Bloody _hell_." She shook her head and dove, again wrenching them apart. She threw Bastion over the side of the pool and hefted herself out of the water again, wringing out her hair. She glanced down at her skin, which had turned a raw pink, with a small groan. "God dammit. Why the hell do I have to do this?"

She snarled at Chazz as he pulled himself out of the water. Chazz shot her a snarl of his own, revealing a pair of vampire fangs despite his own pinking skin before Zane reached down and pulled his fellow demon out of the water by the collar of his dark blue jacket. "My apologies for my friend," he pronounced. "He's not the best-tempered of people."

Cienna rolled her eyes but nodded. "I can see that." She threw a glance at Bastion. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he coughed, looking rather like a drowned cat.

"Good." She sighed, glancing down at her skin with disdain. "Let's get away from the pool, eh?"

"Oh, that looks really bad!" Syrus cried, rushing forward. "I guess you're a demon, huh?"

"Idiot!" Chazz growled. "She's a half-demon, not a full-blood!"

She shot the dark-haired boy a glare, but refused to respond to him. She looked at Syrus. "Half, actually. I just burn more than most." She grinned at him, wincing as the skin on her face protested. "Let's just get away from that damn pool."

"Come on," Jaden said, smiling. "You can help us set up our dorm room in the toolshed!"

"_Our_?" Syrus repeated confusedly.

"Of course!" the brunet laughed. "I'm not going to sleep on my own, and I'd rather room with you than any of the others!"

Since Chazz looked like he was already planning on attempting to drown Bastion again, Zane instructed, "Go on, Chazz, you should probably get those looked at before continuing." He raised his voice. "We'll be taking a break, everyone. Please, use your time wisely while we handle some technical difficulties."

Cienna rolled her eyes. "Technical difficulties my ass." She shot the boys a look. "We'll go to your dorm for now, I guess."

* * *

><p>"Wow, this is a pretty cool place!" Jaden gushed, bouncing around the room with his wings making flapping sounds behind him as the wind rushed through his pristine white feathers.<p>

The blonde girl grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "Calm down, Jaden. I have uses for you and would really rather not have to resort to silencing you permanently."

The brunet stared at her with wide green eyes quickly filling with tears. "I thought you liked me, Cienna!" he whimpered. "Why don't you like me?"

She sighed. "It's not that I don't like you, Jaden. The fact is, you're a nice guy, but you make me want to bang my head against the wall sometimes."

"Did you hear that, Syrus? She doesn't like me!" He turned to the poor blue-haired boy, burrowing his face in those sky locks.

She shook her head. "Oh for God's sake, Jaden. It's not that." She set a hand on his shoulder. "Really, I _do _like you."

The brunet didn't answer, instead burrowing deeper into a blushing Syrus's hair.

"Jaden…" She sighed again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. But really, Jaden, you're making poor Syrus blush."

He muttered something unrecognizable, nuzzling the boy's hair again and still refusing to look at her.

"I really am sorry, Jaden. But you know what I'm like." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was both legitimately sorry (for the most part) as well as fully aware that she'd need him in the future.

He started shaking, wrapping both his arms and his wings around Syrus, whose blush darkened considerably with the action. "Do you love me?" he asked quietly, sounding so broken-hearted it would've likely made even Chazz and Zane soften.

She gave him a surprised look, but answered honestly, softening. "Like I would a little brother."

"And you, Syrus?" His voice grew even sadder, if that was even possible.

"I—I mean—I just met—and you're…" The boy stumbled for words.

"Aw, that's okay, Sy, I love you too!" he chirped, bouncing away and onto his bunk.

Cienna's eyes widened, looking so angry she was about to explode. Her voice dropped to a menacing growl. "_Jaden._"

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Um, I was just playing? Don't get mad, Cienna, there's a witness!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose with a growl. "Oh. My. Gods, Jaden." She leaned against the wall. "If you were _anyone else_ you'd be dead right now."

Syrus looked between the two of them. "Is this sort of thing normal?" he asked hesitantly, sliding into the bunk below Jaden's.

"Unfortunately, whenever he's around, it happens at least twice a week." She gave the brunette a frustrated look. "But usually more like three or four."

"But you still love me, right?"

She shot him a glare so cold it could have been made of liquid nitrogen. "Don't push your luck, Jaden." Her fingers rose to her ear, fiddling with one of the many piercing that adorned it.

"You're so meeeeeeean!" he cried, climbing down into Syrus's bed. "I'm sleeping with Syrus so that you don't slit my throat while I sleep or something!"

Syrus flushed bright red at the words. "Jaden, I—I don't think…"

The girl cut him off. "Oh c'mon, Jaden. I'm not gonna freaking slit your throat. I have targets far more important than you."

"So? I'm not taking any chances."

She rolled her eyes. "Right now, I'm going for Mister-Tackle-the—" She cut herself off. "Some-Random-Student."

"Oh," Jaden said. "Good luck with that!"

She shot him an appraising look. "You know how creative I can get."

There was no response, mainly because Syrus was too scared to come up with anything and Jaden was already asleep, his head pillowed on the smaller boy's shoulder and his white-feathered wings acting as a blanket over the both of them.

She rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Syrus. And good luck with him." She offered the smaller boy a smile and left their dorm, heading towards her own dorm.

Syrus made a frustrated noise, resisting the urge to bang his head against the headboard.

* * *

><p>"What the hell did you do all that for, Chazz?" Zane asked later that night, storming into the dorm room they both shared. "Crowler was on my ass about letting one of his best students throw himself into a pool of holy water not once but <em>twice<em> in five minutes."

The demon just looked up from his bed, his raven hair a little messier than usual due to the fact he had been sleeping off the effects of earlier in the day. "Huh?"

"You practically _drowned_ that angel kid, and while I understand that, why the hell would you put _yourself_ in that water too? And more than once?" He dropped himself onto his bed with a loud, aggravated sigh.

Chazz let out a growl, his black wings starting to come up threateningly. "This doesn't concern you, Zane."

"Considering the fact that Crowler's on _my _ass about this, you've made it my concern." The tips of demon horns appeared on the top of his skull, pushing thick strands of hair away.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Zane! _You_ never told _me_ what your problem is about that little blue-haired angel brat of a brother."

Zane's glare turned to action as he leapt across the room, pinning his roommate to the wall. "That was never in anyway regarding _you_." He snarled, fingers tightening around the raven-haired boy's arms. "Crowler never made it _your _problem."

Chazz's fangs were hitting his bottom lip now, but Zane had been careful not to put himself within a lunge distance of those dangerous canines. "Let me go, Zane!"

Right as Zane was about to bark out a reply, the sound of a fist on wood echoed through their room.

The two demons looked at the door for a long moment, Chazz taking the opportunity presented to lunge forward and give a harsh bite to the other demon's jawline, drawing blood. The person on the other side of the door waited a few moments, then proceeded to knock again, obviously aware that the boys were inside and impatient to boot. Zane let out a hiss at the bite, knocking his roommate further back into the wall as a hand came up to cover the wound. Chazz let out a pained yelp as he collided more heavily with the plaster, his fangs shortening with the sensation.

More impatient knocking, followed by the door opening. Cienna stood in the doorway with raised eyebrows and a hand on her hip. "What pissed you two off?"

"None of your business," Chazz hissed, jerking away from the other demon and storming off, the door slamming behind him.

She stared after him for a long moment, then turned her gaze back to Zane. Her eyes zeroed in on his hand on his chin. "He bit you."

"Yeah, he does that when he gets pissed. I'll be fine though." He went back to the bed, throwing his jacket over a desk chair. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Well there _was_, but the person it was directed towards just left." She sighed, running a hand through her bright hair. "This isn't going where I thought it would."

"Nice to know Chazz is so popular."

She laughed darkly. "He's an asshole."

"Isn't that the truth?" His wings, protruding from a slit in his shirt, stretched, the black feathers ruffling softly. "If you want to get him, you'd better leave now. He can run pretty damn fast when he wants to."

She rolled her eyes, though the part of her that was derived from Gabriel noted the beauty in Zane's dark wings. "There's no point trying to talk to him while he's like this. He seems to be more unreasonable that what I can assume is normal."

"Actually, it's an improvement from his usual arrogance," he reassured her, combing through the feathers with his fingers.

"Dear Gods." She sighed, forcing herself to look at his face rather than his wings.

"You said it," he agreed, pulling out a feather here and there with a slight wince and dropping them to the bed. All of them were crooked or broken in some way, no doubt as a result of the thrashing of some of the more responsive angels and Chazz.

She stepped farther into the room, hypnotized by his wings. Without another thought concerning it, she reached out and ran her fingers through the soft feathers.

Zane let out an unconscious purr, not realizing she was petting his wings until his fingers brushed hers, making his light mercury eyes widen with alarm, though he couldn't bring himself to wrench the appendages away from the welcome touch.

She continued to run her fingers through the feathers, hardly noting the brush of skin on skin. Even the quiet sound of appreciation didn't jerk her from her admiration.

Against his better judgment, he breathed, "What are you doing?"

She jerked out of her reverie, fingers freezing. "Oh… oh my gods, I'm so sorry…" She pulled her hand back slowly.

Instantly, he let out a noise from the back of his throat, his wings instinctively jerking back to meet her hands again. "Don't stop," he panted. "It felt… nice."

She turned pink at his words, an uncommon color on her. "A…alright." She reached out again, starting a little farther over. She ran her fingertips through the velvety appendages.

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed the night here," he offered. "Chazz won't say anything if he comes back, which I doubt since he's so pissed at me right now that he's likely going to sleep on the roof tonight."

Her pink turned to a darker red, fingers pausing abruptly. "Um…"

He let out a pleading whimper that was quiet enough that the noise barely managed to escape his throat, his wings automatically shifting against her hand to try to get the pleasant feeling back.

The red in her face turned so dark she could barely stand it, returning her fingers to his feathers. "I… Are…" She stuttered.

"Hmm?" he hummed, relaxing as he sat down on the bed, doing everything he could just to stay upright.

"Are you sure you want me to…?" She sat uncertainly on the very edge of the bed, looking up at his face and noting that he was handsome himself. Her hands shook ever so slightly.

"You're a half-demon, right?"

"Yes."

"Then," he continued, flashing her a dark smile, "I have no problem with it."

* * *

><p>Bastion: Why have I almsot died twice in the first chapter?<p>

Cali: Plot, darling. Plot.

Cienna: _Right. _You guys aren't just sadisitc jerks...

Syrus: And why the hell am I Jaden's roommate?

Cali: Well _something _had to be semi-canon...

Zane: Canon is for losers.

Alexis: I like cannons!

Die: ... Zane, reward-offer, now.

Zane: ... Uh... We'll give you Chazz...'s Jacket. I guess.

Die: O.O MINE!

Zane: Or not... Uh... Oh, we'll give you some of my broken feathers. :P

Cali: Hell naw! Those are mine!

Zane: ...WHAT THE HELL?

Chazz: Well, it could be worse. She could be stealing your clothes...

Die: *guilty look and throws jacket behind Bastion*

Cienna: Um... how about... A FLYING HAIRY MEATBALL WITH WINGS!

Die: THAT CAME OUT OF JADEN'S ASS!

Jaden: Who said what now?

Cienna: Nothing. We're in the middle of class, go back to sleep.

Jaden: Kay. *falls asleep on Syrus*

Syrus: WHAT THE HELL?

Bastion: ... yeah, I'm out of here.

Cienna: ...me too.

Die: Me three, I wanna read some yaoi inspiration! *goes off to go get some ChazzxBastion*

Cali: _Right..._ Well, thanks for reading! *grin*


	2. Chapter 2: Holy Lesson

Die: Hi there! I know Cali usually updates this with me, but since she's currently unconscious now and we meant to get this up yesturday...

Chazz: So you're just putting this up now?

Bastion: Where the hell are your manners?

Zane: Likely in the same place where she threw the T rating for next chapter...

Die: Shut up you three!

Jaden: This chapter has a few concepts borrowed from Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged GX, which neither of these two morons own.

Die: Hey!

Syrus: They also don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, in case you haven't already figured that out.

Die: Urf, frig you guys! Just get out of here...

* * *

><p>Chapter Two: Holy Lesson<p>

"Ooooh, a cat!" Jaden squealed at breakfast, darting over to the grumpy tom and away from a groggy Syrus.

"I wouldn't pet it if I were you," Bastion warned. "Pharaoh has a reputation for being rather… vicious."

Cienna walked in looking tired and running her fingers though her hair. She paused at the sight of Jaden and the cat, but shook her head and kept walking towards the food. She passed by, offering a suggestion. "You _might_ want to be careful with Pharaoh, Jaden. I've heard bad things about that cat."

"Aw, but it's just a cat, what harm could it do?" he asked, reaching out, only to yelp and retreat, clutching his hand with blood dripping through his fingers. "WHAT THE HELL? THAT HELLCAT NEARLY RIPPED MY HAND OFF!" The hellcat in question merely yawned at him, quietly licking at its paw.

She rolled her eyes, obviously in a rather cranky mood. "I warned you. And I assume I'm not the only one." She grabbed a tray from the table and snagged a bowl of fruit, shooting him a tired glance. "Now if you're going to insist on being an idiot, can you at least do it while I'm feeding myself?"

He grinned cheekily at her. "You say that as if I have conscious control over my special brand of stupidity."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, giving him another tired glance. "Please stay quiet until I've gotten some food into my body. Just a few bites. Please Jaden."

He stuck his tongue out at her, choosing to cling onto Syrus's hand instead. "Fine. Be that way. I'll just do something else."

She sighed thankfully, grabbing a plate of pancakes, a can of cherry coke, and dropping her food on the table. She cracked the soda open, took a sip, popped a bite of pancake into her mouth, and looked at Jaden expectantly. "Feel free to annoy me now."

"Um," Syrus interrupted, "he's already asleep again."

Bastion rolled his eyes, quietly munching on his toast and content to remain in the background for once.

"So," she looked at Bastion. "Have a roommate?"

He shook his head, still chewing.

"I still need to _meet _my roommate," She muttered, taking another sip of soda.

"Huh? You didn't go back to your room last night?"

"Where were you then?" Syrus asked curiously.

"CHICKEN STRIPS!" Jaden shouted, sitting up randomly.

After yet another eye roll, she shrugged. "I had things to deal with. Never got around to going to my room." She threw a look at Jaden. "Hence the cherry coke."

His green eyes went wide. "You have chicken strips? Do you have Cheetos too?" Everyone else at the table looked at him like he was crazy, and he shot them all a wide grin in return.

"As a matter of fact," she returned good naturedly, digging in her purse. "I do." She threw a bag of Cheetos at him and turned back to her pancakes.

"CHEETOS!" he cried, happily opening the bag and devouring them heartily.

"Hey," Syrus murmured, looking shyly at his cereal, "is there any particular reason why Zane is staring at you?" Bastion shot him a strange look but said nothing, his mouth still full.

Cienna looked in the direction of the dark-haired male, offering raised eyebrows. He smiled crookedly at her, using a single finger to indicate that he wanted her to come over to him. She shrugged, throwing a look at the boys at the table. "Be right back, I guess." She stood, striding towards Zane with a mild smile. "Yes?"

"Do you still want to talk to Chazz?" he asked, his mercury eyes serious.

She thought for a moment, smiling as she came to an answer. "It's probably something I should do…"

"Come here then," he said, spreading his arms and wings wide and gesturing to his lap. The blush from the night before returned, rising up her neck to her face as she sat down. Instantly, the inky black of his feathers enshrouded her completely, his arms coming around on either side to continue calmly eating his omlette. "Relax," he whispered gently. "This way, he won't be able to see you until he's already here, and I doubt he'll leave and make a scene about it."

Still bright red at the concept of the space she was entrapped in, she nodded. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Almost as an afterthought, Jaden paused in his devouring of his crunchy cheesy breakfast. "Hey, where'd Cienna go?"<p>

Syrus gave him a look that screamed 'You're an idiot.' "You're an idiot, Jaden."

He pouted. "I can't help it, I just don't pay attention to things when I'm eating Cheetos. They're the food of Heaven!"

Syrus sighed, shaking his head and returning to his cereal.

* * *

><p>Chazz groaned, flexing his wings imposingly. He hated being late for breakfast, it meant he never got the really bloody sausages. Sighing as he snatched one of the few plates that were left, he stomped over to the table he and Zane usually sat at, only to frown when he saw what was awaiting him. "What are <em>you <em>doing here?" he hissed, absently stabbing a sausage with his fork.

She eyed the sausage. "I'm here to talk to you, actually."

He sighed, nibbling on the end. "About what?"

"Yesterday." She stated it so simply, it was like nothing had gone on, though she still had the pink tint to her arms and legs to prove something had.

"Look, as I so elegantly informed Zane last night, that conversation is not up for discussion. So if that's all you came here for, I suggest you get off of my roommate now and go back to your loser friends."

"Look, you eloquent asshole, I know round-about what happened yesterday, and if you want to be left alone that's fine with me. But if you want some answers, you _might_ want to stop being someone I want to leave in a pit of boiling lava." Her tawny eyes flashed dangerously.

He grinned darkly, flashing her just a hint of the fangs he'd had yesterday in an idle threat. "You know, I've always heard Hawaii is nice this time of year."

"Fine." She shrugged indifferently, brushing Zane's wings softly. "But just so you know, those _feelings _that come up when you see him? They're not going anywhere, no matter how much you try not to feel that way."

The appendages instantly swept away, letting her out of the "cage" she'd been in. "I _don't _feel that way about him!" Chazz hissed, the fangs not the least bit disguised now, his black eyes flashing dangerously. "It's just hormones!"

She laughed, absently running a hand through Zane's feathers. She replied in a sing-songy voice. "That's what you think."

"It is!" he insisted, stabbing through the plate with his fork and embedding the metal more than a few inches into the table. Closing his eyes for a moment to regain his composure, he calmly stated, "Look, could you please leave now? I would like to be able to eat the remainder of my breakfast in peace so that I can have time to take a shower before I go to class."

"Sure." Her smile held a minorly wicked glint. "Just remember what I said."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he grouched, waving his hand away as he wrenched his fork from the table and speared another one of his cylindrical meats.

With a mild smile in Zane's direction and another run of her fingers through his feathers, Cienna headed towards her abandoned pancakes.

"You've got to stop letting her do that, Zane, otherwise you'll end up sleeping with her like you did Alexis," Chazz remarked dryly.

"… Shut up."

* * *

><p>"Hey," Syrus said when he saw their friend was coming back, "you okay?"<p>

She smiled and stabbed another piece of pancake on her fork. "Fine. Why?"

"My… I mean, I've heard that Zane can be rather mean." Beside him, Jaden poked forlornly at the empty Cheetos bag, the crackling rather rapidly getting on Bastion's nerves, not that he'd admit to it of course.

"He's not too bad." She replied, leaning down to her purse and digging out another bag of Cheetos. She threw them at Jaden again. "Eat up, Kid."

"CHEETOS!" He ripped open the bag, spilling the puffs everywhere. His eyes went wide. "NO! MY CHEETOS!"

"GODS JADEN, THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND CHEETOS!" Bastion yelled, finally losing his temper and stalking off with another piece of toast, muttering curses under his breath all the way out of the main hall.

"What's his problem?" the brunet asked innocently, blinking green eyes.

Cienna gave him an appraising look before shaking her head and returning to her pancakes, devouring them hungrily. Her mind was elsewhere.

* * *

><p>Chazz felt a little better now that he had some bloody meat in his stomach. Hey, it wasn't his fault that his demon genes ended up manifesting more like a vampire than anything! However, the satisfaction that flowed through him screeched to a halt at the forbidding scent he knew so well and a growl slipped from between his teeth. <em>Of course<em> he would have to be here to ruin the mood. Diving forward around the corner, he threw the other male against the wall, ebony orbs meeting with slate-gray ones. "Why the hell do you keep doing this to me?" he hissed in an undertone, fangs clashing harshly against his lip. "Do you have any idea what you're doing just by _being _here?"

"What are you talking about, I haven't _done _anything to you!" Bastion protested, his fingers scrabbling at the hand on his throat, his white wings straining against his jacket and his control to push themselves from where they were folded up against his shoulder blades. Chazz didn't reply, instead sinking his teeth into the unprotected side of Bastion's neck, causing the angel to cry out.

Zane rounded the corner, eyes widening in surprise at the scene before him. More frustrated than anything else, he grabbed Chazz by the collar and yanked him away from the angel. "What the _hell_ Chazz?"

The vampire-demon merely snarled, his chin covered in crimson while Bastion clutched at his neck, eyes wide.

The sound of footsteps filled the silence as Cienna rounded the same corner, but instead of surprise, she hissed. "Dammit, really? This effing early?" She eyed Zane's grip on the vampiric male. "You got him?" Zane nodded, fingers tightening around the collar of the other male. Cienna made her way to Bastion, hand gentle on his arm. "How hard did he bite?"

"Hard enough to break the skin," Zane answered, glaring down at Chazz, who stared back defiantly, unrepentant.

She reached for Bastion's wrist, tugging on it so his hand would fall away from the bite. She eyed the bite critically, fingers reaching up to wipe away the blood smeared around the wound. He winced, his wings shifting agitatedly beneath his yellow jacket, but allowed her inspection.

"Sorry." She murmured, standing on her toes to get a better view of the puncture marks. "C'mon, I'll help you clean this up." She reached for his hand, moving it back over the wound.

Zane waited until they were gone before rounding on his fellow demon. "What the hell were you thinking?" he growled, mercury eyes flashing angrily. "You could have killed someone!"

Chazz smirked. "That's what I was aiming for, Truesdale."

Zane let out a slow growl, tugging on his roommate's collar. "To hell with this." He proceeded to drag the other boy towards their dorm room.

"Yay, I can get a shower before I go to class. That was what I was going to do _before_ I scented _him_, you know," the Princeton informed him snarkily. "Thanks."

Zane rolled his eyes, biting off bitterly. "Sure. Anytime."

* * *

><p>"Why does he hate me so much, Cienna?" Bastion asked when they got to his room. "I mean, I haven't even <em>done<em> anything to him and he's tried to kill me three times already!"

"Oh, but you have." She muttered, grabbing the wet washcloth from the counter. "You just don't know it."

"Why is it that _you _know and _I_ don't?" he grumbled.

"Knowing things like that run in the family, Bastion. You'd be surprised what I know about people." She gently set the washcloth against the boy's neck, rubbing away the blood.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Syrus and Zane are brothers. The infamous Truesdale brothers… or at least, infamous in some regions…"

"What the hell?" he blurted. "Syrus is related to _that_ bastard?"

"That 'bastard' saved your life, y'know." She offered almost absently, pulling the washcloth away from his neck to dab it in warm water again. "I would have been too late."

"Yeah, well, he's still a bastard," he grumbled. "And why the hell is that Chazz kid so pissed at me?"

She sighed, setting the washcloth down and leaning against the counter with her hands on either side. "It's not really within my boundaries to tell you that, Bastion."

"Why the hell not? It's my right to know why the hell some asshole wants to kill me!"

"I know." She replied, amends in her eyes. "But it's not within my ability to tell you. There are rules to knowing what I do."

He glowered at her. "Fine. But if I die, I'm gonna be pissed."

She watched him curiously for a moment, a smirk arriving on her face. "Y'know, that sounds like something Jaden would say." She reached up to fiddle with her earring absently again.

* * *

><p>"Syrus, I'm bored," Jaden whined, leaning his head against the other boy's arm.<p>

Syrus gave him a rather aggravated look. "And?"

"Where's Cienna and Bastion? And more importantly, when the hell do we get out of school?"

"Jaden, it hasn't even started yet!"

"…"

Syrus sighed, something everyone around Jaden seemed to do frequently. "You're going to make the teachers hate us, aren't you?"

He pouted, his green eyes sparkling. "It's not my fault all their talking puts me to sleep!"

Syrus couldn't help but smile at how adorable Jaden looked. "You could at least _try _to stay awake."

"But it's so hard!" he complained.

"Well if you want to graduate, it's kind of necessary." The blue-haired boy replied with a small laugh.

"Yeah, but you'll let me cheat off you, right Syrus?" He turned his green eyes up to his highest degree of pleading, the Mega-Chibi-Eyes-of-Doom level.

Syrus gulped. "Um… I—well—I guess so."

"Yay!" Jaden hugged him tightly, his wings coming out to wrap around him too. "I love you, Syrus!" he cooed happily, bouncing back down after a moment.

Syrus flushed bright pink, staring at the ground. _What is _up _with Jaden's touchy-feely crap?_

"Hey look, it's Cienna and Bastion! HI GUYS! WE SAVED YOU A SEAT!" the brunet called, waving madly from where they sat and getting quite a few angry glares from some last-minute studiers.

Cienna rolled her eyes, pulling her blonde hair into a slick ponytail and plopping down in the seat next to the loud brunette. "Do me a favor and take it down a notch, Kid." Unfortunately, by that point, he was already asleep on his mathbook. The girl—one of the few in the room—sighed and pulled her books from her bag. "Christ Almighty, Kid." She threw a glance at Bastion. "Sit down. He won't bug you in class. He doesn't want to make a scene."

Hesitantly, he sat down, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Chazz's higher perch, the demon smirking a fanged grin at him in a warning before turning his attention to the man who stepped through the door.

Professor Banner smiled at the class. "Hello children." Pharaoh yawned, leaping down from Banner's arms and trotting through the aisles, pausing at the feet of the blonde girl.

She glanced down at it, offering a raised eyebrow and hesitant hands. She scooped it up when it didn't attack her and settled it in her lap. She scratched it behind its ear, "Hello Pharaoh."

"Kitty!" Jaden yelled, reaching down only to get scratched across the palm again. "OH WHY THE HELL DOES IT KEEP ON DOING THAT?" he screeched, clutching his bleeding hand to his red jacket and hiding behind Syrus.

"Pharaoh hates you. Most people, in fact." Cienna replied absently, used to Jaden's outbursts. She continued to doodle on the edge of her notes.

Crocodile tears appeared in the brunet's eyes. "Why don't you love me, Cienna!" he wailed, burrowing his face into Syrus's crimson-colored jacket shoulder.

"For God's sake, Jaden." She groaned. "I have no control over the actions of this cat."

Professor Banner cleared his throat then. "Um, can we get on with class now?"

The blonde girl nodded. "Of course. I apologize for Jaden's outburst. His idiocy is astounding sometimes."

"Hey!" he protested, continuing to use Syrus as a living shield.

Bastion thought _Why the hell am I friends with these losers again?_

The girl at his side shot him a look as if she had an idea what he was thinking. "Jaden's not actually as stupid as he acts." The response that should have been coming from the brunet was absent, for the child was already asleep again, this time on Syrus's shoulder.

And so class continued.

* * *

><p>Zane didn't bother with lunch, like Chazz, and so the pair just stayed behind in the classroom, discussing politics with each other. Jaden, of course, woke up and dragged them all to the dining hall again, saying something about wanting more Cheetos and chicken wings with hot sauce, Bastion following behind only because he'd rather not be left alone with a vengeful demon.<p>

Cienna pulled herself from her grip, "I left my purse in the room. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Jaden chirped, dragging Syrus closer.

"Hurry back," Bastion urged, clearly not wanting to be left alone with the perky brunet for an extended period of time.

"I'll be back as quick as I can." She called in return. She turned and made her way towards the classroom, sitting beside Zane and beginning to run her fingers though his feathers without a word between them. He leaned into the touch, carrying on his conversation and ignoring the glare Chazz shot them both. Cienna smiled at Chazz, rather than ignore the glare, saying pleasantly. "Hello Chazz."

He didn't respond, merely ignoring her since by this point, only he and Zane lingered in the room, a normal occurrence for the two blue-jacketed demons. Unsurprised, she turned her full attention to Zane's wings, running both hands through the downy appendages. "So, how's Jagger and Slade?" he asked, turning the conversation to more personal topics.

Chazz shrugged. "Fine, I guess. They're up to their usual stuff."

Zane nodded. "Unsurprising. They _do _realize they'll need more help to take over the world, right?"

He waved his hand as if to sweep the matter away underneath a rug. "They want my help for them, and they already have business and politics firmly under their grasp."

"What do they expect you to do?"

He shrugged. "Gain the support of all the demons, enslave the half-breeds, get the angels to fall… all the usual stuff."

Cienna flinched at the part about half-breeds, fingers pausing in a particular sensitive spot on Zane's wing. His wing moved against her fingers, silently pleading for her to continue as he shot her a glance over his shoulder. She nodded apologetically, returning to her task, albeit a bit more hesitantly. Chazz's off-the-cuff comment about half-breeds legitimately bothered her, no matter her actual species. "Of course, I don't plan on actually _listening _to those bastards, even if they are my brothers."

Still concerned, she continued with her task, that is, until Jaden arrived. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "If you were _that_ keen to stroke someone's wings, you could've done _mine_."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Shut up Jaden."

"I never knew you hated me so muuuuuuuch!" he cried, running off to go use Syrus as a pillow and an outlet for his mood swings.

She sighed, giving Zane a look. "I should probably go make sure he doesn't cry on Syrus too much. I'm damn tired of his mood-swings."

* * *

><p>"Why the hell do you always use me as a pillow?" Syrus complained as Jaden fell asleep yet again on his shoulder.<p>

Cienna walked in, took a look at Jaden and growled. "_Damn you Jaden!_"

Bastion sighed. "Is this normal for him?" he asked, nibbling on some cheese and crackers.

"Ugh." She threw herself down beside him looking like she was going to stab someone. "Yes. It is."

"If you were doing something important, you can go back to it. I'm pretty sure Jaden won't notice."

"No point now." She growled, grabbing Hershey's bar from her bag and nibbling on it.

He shrugged. "So, what were you doing?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Nothing that important, I guess."

"Uh huh, sure." Syrus sounded _convinced_.

She looked up from her chocolate. "Yes, Syrus?"

"Nothing, nothing." He shifted, having to hurriedly support Jaden to prevent the taller boy from falling onto the table. "So, did you get your purse?"

"Yeah." She lifted it, showing them. "And if you have something on your mind, I'd honestly rather you say it. Honesty is the best policy, as they say."

"I have nothing to say, nope nothing, I'm good!"

She eyed him for a moment. "We have to work on your confidence, Kid."

"I'M NOT A KID, I'M FIFTEEN!"

"And your anger issues." She added absently.

Bastion sighed, getting up. "Well, since I'd rather not be part of this argument, I'm going to get back to class."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Cienna replied, trying to keep a straight face, but having a slightly sing-songy note to her voice.

"And why not?"

"Because Chazz and Zane are in there." She said matter-of-factly. "And I'm pretty sure none of us want a repeat of this morning." She eyed the bandage on his neck as evidence.

He shuddered lightly but firmed his shoulders. "Well, I'm going to have to be left alone with them at some point. Besides, Zane should be able to keep him in line."

She stared at him and then shrugged. "Depends on how angry you make him."

"I haven't done anything to make him angry."

"That you're aware of." She replied, taking another bite out of her chocolate. Her free hand lifted to play with one of her piercings—a sure-fire sign that she was either thinking about something or frustrated.

His eyebrows rose, but he turned his back anyway. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to live with it."

She sighed, "Be careful Bastion, Zane and I won't always be around to save your ass."

* * *

><p>Chazz's eyes narrowed when the door opened and Bastion stepped into the room, but the hand already winding into his collar held him back. He shot Zane a glare, so caught up in communicating his anger at being held back that he didn't notice the approach of his worst enemy until the yellow jacket was directly before his black eyes. "Listen, Chazz, I think we got off on the wrong foot." He held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Bastion Misawa, it's nice to meet you, Chazz Princeton."<p>

The demon stared at the pro-offered hand for a long moment then threw his head back and laughed cruelly. "Oh Bastion," he chuckled, his eyes gleaming and his fangs teasing his lips as his tongue sensually swept across the pink expanse, "you have _no idea_ how good your blood tasted."

Zane jerked on the back of his collar, glaring at his roommate silently. Chazz smirked at him, his ebony eyes daring the other demon to do something about it. Zane gave him a firm jerk back. "Not here, Chazz. Class'll start again in a few minutes."

The very tip of one of his fangs slipped past his lip. "You say that as if you expect it to make a difference."

"Do you _really_ want to make a scene?"

He pretended to think about it. "If I can taste some more of Misawa's blood, I think I could live with the momentary disgrace."

Cienna appeared in the doorway, her purse over her shoulder and a still sleeping Jaden in her arms. Her eyes landed on the scene before her and she sighed. "Really, Chazz? _Really?_" With a frown, she set Jaden in his seat, dropped her purse on the table, and returned. "If you're trying to deny the feelings you supposedly don't have, this isn't the best way to do that."

The demon smirked at her, somehow managing to look smug dangling a few inches from the floor. "I never said I _wanted _him, just his blood."

"Wait?" Bastion yelped, "What the hell?"

Cienna laughed harshly. "We both know that demons on the more vampiric side of things see drinking blood as a more… sensual act."

Bastion yelled another "What the hell?"

His smirk grew. "I've managed to drink Zane's here without having sex with him. I have _exceptional _self-control."

"But with _that_ kind of connection, it won't last long." She smirked back. "It never does…" Her smirk turned into an almost fond smile before she caught herself and her smirk returned.

"So… you're saying it's only a matter of time until I have sex with Zane?"

At this, both Truesdales' faces turned bright red, Syrus having just come in with a bag of Cheetos.

Cienna laughed again, effectively covering her fight with the bile that threatened to rise at the demon's words. "I wasn't referring to Zane at all, though if you feel like going there, that's your deal. I was referring to Bastion."

"Once again, what the hell?"

Chazz waved away her words. "Your concerns have been dully noted."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed Bastion by the arm. "I've warned you. My job's done."

"What the hell are you all talking about?" Bastion asked, glaring at the two of them.

"An excellent question, Mister Misawa," Professor Banner stated, Pharaoh jumping down from his arms and sauntering over to Cienna.

"CHEETOS!" Jaden yelled, snatching the bag from Syrus's hands before he sighted the poor tomcat. "KITTY!"

"Jaden, don't-" Syrus began, but he was already too late.

"WHY THE HELL DOES THAT CAT ALWAYS DO THAT?"

* * *

><p>Zane: Please remember that the next time you see this story, it WILL be rated M.<p>

Bastion: Who's fault is it that it's put that way?

Syrus: Die.

Bastion: ... I meant the character...

Jaden: Chazz.

Bastion: What the hell?

Chazz: *blushes* Reviews will be greeted with... um... Cheetos?

Die: Yay for getting along!

Chazz: I'M GONNA KILL YOU! *lunges for Die*

Die: HOLY CRAP! *runs off* Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3: Holy Innocence

Die: BORED NOW! I never thought I grow tired of reading yaoi, but I suppose I can surprise even myself. What's this? A new chapter? IMPOSSIBLE! Wait, no, it's totally possible, what am I talking about? Behold, chapter, I shall write you with my superior mental mind powers. LET ME WRITE LEMONS!

Cali: ...Wow. Really? You re-wrote like half of that monologue... Thanks for giving her new material LittleKuriboh...

Die: ... Chazz...

Cali: And _of course _she reverts back to that...

Die: ... Aster...

Cali: What the EFFing hell? That's new... (and btw, thanks for letting me borrow your EFFs, Marik)

Die: ... Zane... Goddammit, there aren't enough spaces. Um, okay, let me see here... Jaden...

Cali: ...she's still on the monologue... I think we should just own up. We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged because we are _clearly _not LittleKuriboh... (But we're fans. :D)

Die: WHY ARE THESE THE ONLY FIVE-LETTER NAMES I KNOW?

* * *

><p>Chapter Three: Holy Innocence<p>

Bastion threw a concerned glance out the window, seeing the darkened figure in the hammock on the roof of the Obelisk Blue dorm, as it had been for the past week. Apparently, Chazz had refused to sleep in his room with Zane since the arrival of the new students, and he couldn't help but think it had something to do with him.

The sharp rap of knuckles on the door resounded through the room, "Bastion?" Cienna's voice was muffled through the door.

"It's open!" he called, not finding the want to take his eyes from Chazz's figure.

She stepped into the room, offering a sheepish smile, with her suitcase in hand. She sat down on the extra bed. "Hey."

"How do you like the room?" he asked. "They tried to put me in a Slipher-esque room with a bunk bed, but I wanted one more like the ones in the Obelisk, the pair of single beds." He grinned. "Luckily, they give you both options in the Ra dorms, otherwise I would've had to do what Chazz is doing and sleep on the roof in a hammock."

Her sheepish smile remained. "Probably a good choice… 'cause I, uh, have some news for you." She reached up to fiddle with her earrings.

"Hmm?" His slate gray eyes widened when the figure neared the edge of the roof, black wings spread as the wind tugged at raven hair and elegant feathers.

"Bastion, you might want to stop ogling Chazz for a second and listen to me." A hint of sharpness appeared in her voice, counteracted by the understanding note tangled in it.

He jumped guiltily, tearing his eyes from the window and refocusing them on her. "I wasn't ogling Chazz!" he protested, the light blush across his cheekbones contradicting his very words.

She nodded, looking quite unconvinced. "Sure, sure. But let's get to the point at hand." She took a deep breath. "I'm your roommate."

"What the hell?" he spluttered, eyes wide.

She shrugged sheepishly. "I was assigned last week. I've just been… busy."

"Doing _what_?"

"Umm…" Her cheeks turned bright pink and she looked away.

"BERNARD, I FOUND A KOALA!" A demon girl ran into the room, her long dirty blonde hair streaming behind her, holding Pharaoh close to her chest with a bra on the poor cat's head.

Cienna's eyes widened in complete horror, immediately moving across the room and scooping the unfortunate cat from the other girl's arms. She pulled the bra off Pharaoh's head and chucked it at the idiotic girl. She set the cat on her lap as she sat back down, scratching it behind its ear calmingly. To Bastion, she asked. "Who the _hell_ is this?"

"Hi there! My name is Alexis Rhodes, and what did you do to that poor koala?"

Cienna stared at her blankly. "Cienna Oliver and, don't take this the wrong way, but you're an idiot."

She giggled, bouncing over to Bastion's side and affectionately nuzzling his jaw, oblivious to his discomfort. "Zane and Chazz call me that on a normal basis, but I still don't know what it means!"

"…"

"Alexis, why don't you go back to your dorm? You know Professor Crowler doesn't like full-bloods in the half-blood dorm," Bastion said uncomfortably, pushing her away and barely managing to conceal his disgust.

She beamed. "Okay Bacteria!"

The moment the other girl had left the room, Cienna rounded on Bastion. "Is that normal?"

He sighed. "Sadly, yes. If her father wasn't Levithian, she wouldn't even be here." He longed to take off his jacket and spread his wings, but with the curtains open and the door unlocked, the idea wouldn't be a wise one, and he was reluctant to remove his view to the demon on the roof.

"I guess I'll have to get used to her then… since we're roommates…" She sighed again, setting the cat beside her and falling back onto the bed. "_Yay_."

"Hey Bastion, I don't get this homework!" Jaden complained, barging into the room with Syrus clinging nervously to his arm.

"Jaden, we aren't supposed to be here," the blue-haired angel stated, but the brunet just brushed him off.

"Yeah, but Bastion's better at math than you are!"

Cienna laughed, sitting up against the wall and pulling her knees up to her chest. "You've been awful at math since you were a kid, Jaden."

"So you'll help me?" He perked up, his imaginary tail wagging behind him.

She thought for a moment, completely immune to the puppy-dog eyes. "Only because you're entertaining."

"Great!" He put the paper down on the bed. "What the hell is a sin?"

"You mean… sine?" She couldn't hold back her giggles.

"I don't know what the fuck it is, I slept through that lesson!"

"As I can testify to," Syrus added, recalling how warm Jaden's head had been on his shoulder. It had been almost… heart-warming, just as much as it was when the other kids teased the brunet about having such small wings for an angel.

"Of course you did." She smiled. "It's a ratio for the length of the side opposite angle theta over the hypotenuse side length."

"And what about cos and tan?"

Bastion stepped in then. "Cos, short for cosine, is for the adjacent side to theta over hypotenuse, and tan, short for tangent, is for the opposite over the adjacent. Happy now?"

Jaden's green eyes were wide. "Whaaaaaaaat?" he blurted, having obviously missed the whole explanation.

"Use your mathbook," Bastion advised him boredly.

"But that's boriiiiiiing!" he complained.

"Then you should have paid better attention in class."

Cienna jumped in to prevent Jaden's whining from progressing, snatching Jaden's pencil from his hand. "Here I'll write it in Jaden language." She immediately set to work labeling the triangles and writing explanations for the ratios on the side of the paper.

"Thank you Cienna," he murmured, hugging her. Syrus couldn't help but notice the brunet's wings didn't come around her like they would when Jaden would hug him.

"No problem, Jaden." She replied, handing him the paper. "Now go do your homework, Kid." She pushed the boy in the general direction of the door, offering a kind smile. "I have my own work to do."

"Okay!" He reached around, dragging Syrus along behind him.

Bastion turned back to the window, giving another longing look over to the roof of the other building and its occupant.

Cienna went to unpacking, smiling at him for a moment as she scooted across the room, dumping her underwear and bras in a drawer. "You're gay." She said absently.

"_Excuse_ me?" he asked, not entirely sure he was hearing her correctly.

She looked up from organizing the drawer, eyebrows high on her forehead. "You're gay."

"Where did _that _come from?"

She shrugged. "Well I've known for a while… I guess I felt the need to note it."

"O… kay."

* * *

><p>Chazz could still taste Bastion's blood in the back of his throat even though he hadn't touched the half-angel since their encounter a week ago. He found himself craving the unbelievably pure flavor, staring at the other boy's neck during class before he snapped himself out of it with a jerk. Even now, knowing that Bastion was <em>right across campus<em>, it was enough to bring his fangs to the forefront of his jaw. Sighing in defeat, he reached down into his pants and gently stroked himself, deciding to soothe one fire with another. His fangs bit into his lip as he struggled to hold back a moan or two at the imagining of crimson flowing down his throat again, unable to stop his hips from jerking forward into his hand.

"Enjoying yourself, Chazz?"

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL, ZANE!" he yelped, his hand flying out of his pants as he wheeled on the other demon, blushing a bright red.

Looking just slightly disgruntled, he shrugged. "What?"

"AT LEAST LET ME KNOW BEFORE YOU COME UP HERE! THROW A STONE, STOMP YOUR FOOT, _SOMETHING_!"

"I wasn't aware I needed permission to arrive on the roof." Zane said.

"Oh, fuck you!"

"No thanks, I'm good."

He groaned. "What do you want?"

"You haven't tried to kill that half-angel kid in a week." Zane stated by way of answering.

"Did it ever occur to you that I've been biding my time for the right moment?"

"Considering the fact that you used absolutely _no _discretion or planning last week, I really doubt it."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"You're trying to rehash an old topic, Chazz. I already said no."

"… I might have poisoned him, you know."

"You're not that subtle, Chazz. Quit bullshitting me."

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it." The emergence of his fangs told him the arguing was pointless.

"Well you're bullshitting yourself, too, I suppose." Zane continued.

"Who have you been screwing with, Cienna?" he asked rhetorically, spinning on his heel and throwing himself onto his hammock.

"Actually, yes." He smirked.

He let out a groan. "That was supposed to be a rhetorical question, Zane, and besides, I thought you had more class than to take up with a bastard."

"At least I'm not falling for one. And an _angel _bastard at that." He shot back.

"I'M NOT FALLING FOR THAT ANGEL BASTARD, FUCKDAMMIT!"

Zane raised his eyebrow. "I'm sure you think that."

"I'M NOT!" Ebony eyes were burning, fangs drawing blood on Chazz's chin from the force of his anger.

Zane shrugged. "Whatever you say, Princeton."

"Asshole," he growled, flipping his black-feathered wings around to face the other demon.

"That's me." He replied, a small smirk adorning his face.

"Let me revise that last statement: Pretentious self-centered asshole."

"Yep, still pretty accurate."

"Fuck you!"

"Gods Chazz, you really _are _horny."

He groaned. "Is there a reason _why_ you came up here, or did you just decide to annoy me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Fuck you Zane!"

* * *

><p>"What the hell happened to your wings, Yuki?" The taller boy of the group snarled. "I mean, they're fucking <em>tiny<em>."

"Yeah." The second boy laughed darkly. "They look like a half-breed's wings, for Gods' sake. What kind of angel are you?"

Jaden gritted his teeth, clutching the book he'd gotten for Syrus closer to his chest. "Could you please move, I'm trying to get back to my dorm."

They barred his way, grinning. "No. I don't think we will. What do you think boys?" The other angels shook their heads, grinning just as wickedly as the leader.

His feathers bristled, pristine white wings coming out on either side of him in a display meant to intimidate. "Let me pass, Syrus is expecting me."

The leader laughed again, his own snowy white wings snapping out from behind him gracefully. "Is that supposed to matter, shrimp?"

"It should," he murmured. "If I'm late, Syrus will go looking for Cienna and Bastion, which means Chazz and Zane shouldn't be too far behind."

"Because we're afraid of a _girl_, a math-dork, and two fucking _demons_?" The second jumped in, snarling back.

"Don't insult them, Cienna could kick your asses to hell and back!" he snarled, wings moving to try to make themselves even bigger.

"I guess we'll just have to see her try." The first laughed without worry, reaching forward and pushing Jaden back.

He let out a cry, the fingers of his free hand scrabbling at the air as his wings came forward in an attempt to right himself, but he couldn't manage to get his balance back, falling back down the stairs, still clutching that book he'd gotten for Syrus. The thunk his body made on each step resounded loudly in the quiet hall before he lay splayed out at the foot of the stairs, wings full of bent and broken white feathers that ruffled lightly in a draft, the only part of him that showed the faintest signs of life.

The newest member of the group peered around the others, eyes wide in terror. "Oh Gods. Oh Gods. Oh Gods. We killed him! Dammit, I didn't sign up for this!" He took off, running as fast as he could towards the dorms.

Jaden's green eyes burned as he turned his face towards them, pushing himself shakily to his feet. "Bad move, gentlemen," he stated, most of his brown hair falling over his eyes, shedding feathers as he stood before he lunged at them with a roar.

* * *

><p>"Jaden!" Cienna yelled, running through the forest surrounding the school. "Jaden, Hun, where are you?" She paused for just a moment, panting for breath. <em>I know Jaden better than anyone else here. Where would he be?<em>

After a moment, a thought popped into her head. The only option left. The only place they hadn't looked. She spun on her heel and took off towards the angel dorm. She ran as fast as she good, not daring to open her wings and take the chance of being seen.

She arrived in front of the door, opening it without a second thought and sliding in. There was a shaking ball in the corner of Syrus's bed. Her face softened. "Jaden? Hun, it's me." She walked over to the bed, settling on the edge and setting a hand on his knee.

He lashed out at her with his wings, the bone of the appendage covered in small nubs that caused him to let out a cry of pain at the collision as he tucked closer into himself and further into the corner.

She flinched back, ignoring his attack on her and moving closer to him. "Jaden, what happened? Talk to me, Hun. I want to help." She eyed his wings carefully, realization dawning on her. "Oh Jaden."

"Get away!" he yelled, "Get away!"

"Jaden, please. It's okay!" She stayed where she was, refusing to move back, but hesitant to move closer.

"I said 'GO AWAY'!" he yelled, his wings once again snapping out to push her away, despite the scream of pain that escaped his throat.

Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes, hating to watch the boy she'd known for so long in such extreme pain. "I just want to help you!"

"JADEN!" Syrus cried, running forward and gently pulling Jaden's head on his lap, careful of his injured wings. "It's okay, Jaden, it's okay, your molt will be over soon."

Cienna wiped away the tears on her cheeks, giving Syrus a soft look. "Take care of him, Syrus. I'll be back tomorrow." She wrenched herself away from the scene and rushed out the door, racing down the hall. She was passing a group of angel boys in the hallway, not paying them any attention until she noted the cuts, braces, and bruises. She wheeled around and glared at them.

"You." She barked at one of the smaller ones. "Get your ass over here."

"OH GODS, NOT AGAIN!" he screamed, running away.

She shot a glare in his direction, leaping a few feet across the hallway and tackling him to the ground and slamming his wrists to the floor. She pulled most of herself off of him and wrapped a hand around his wrists. She turned to the others. "I swear to God, if you try to escape me, you'll regret it." Her demon-tail slid out from under her skirt, stabbing at the air dangerously. She dragged the runaway with her, slamming him against the wall and glowering at the group. "Explain to me _why _you thought it was okay to push Jaden Yuki down the stairs." At their silence her glare deepened, tail stabbing viciously at the air. "_Someone start _talking."

"We didn't mean to do it!" one screamed fearfully. "He wasn't supposed to fall when Mikhail pushed him, honest!"

She pulled the boy from the group by the front of her shirt. "But it was okay to make fun of his wings in the first place? Bullshit! I thought you were supposed to be _angels_."

"But his wings are so _strange_!" another protested. "No angel has ever had wings that are so short, but no Nephilium has had wings so large!"

"Go to _hell_." She growled. "Who the fuck are you to decide if he's strange or not! Huh? Answer me that. Who the fuck are _you_?"

"Nikolai. Nikolai Morgan."

She shoved the one at her side to the floor, making sure he slammed into the floor hard enough to do some damage. She advanced on Nikolai, grabbing him by the throat and slowly tightening her grip. Her fingernails dug into his neck. "I swear on _all _that is unholy, if any of you _ever _lay a goddamned hand on him again, I will make sure it's the _last thing you do._" Her tail snapped out at the boy beside him, stabbing him in the leg. She grit her teeth, loosening her grip a bit. "Have I made myself _absolutely _clear?"

They all nodded fearfully, eyes wide and bodies trembling so fiercely white feathers broke free and fell to the ground.

She glared at them, punching the few within her range so hard that they fell into each other. "You'd better fucking _hope _I never come back to see you sons of bitches." And with that, she stalked off in the other direction, devil-tail hanging low, but still at the ready for attack.

"You know, fighting is prohibited on campus."

She turned towards the source of the voice already swinging her fist, not thinking straight enough to recognize it. Her tail poked high in the air, ready to stab whoever was closest. She pulled back at the last moment, apology falling across her face. "Zane!"

"What happened?" he asked, catching her fist easily in his hand, his mercury eyes approvingly running over her slender stinger tail.

She sighed, drooping instantly. "Those dumb-asses made fun of Jaden's wings… and then pushed him down the stairs."

"Oh," he stated, his wings shifting slightly behind him. "Do you want me to report them to Crowler or set Chazz on them?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll kick their asses if anything happens again." She slumped more, rolling her shoulders tiredly. He pulled her closer to him, picking her up bridal style and walking off towards the Obelisk dorm. "What are you doing?" She asked tiredly.

"Taking you back to my room, you're exhausted."

"Thanks, Zane." She yawned, scrubbing at her eyes and nestling closer to Zane's chest, thankful for the warmth.

"Of course, Cienna." His wings came around, a nice warm ebony blanket that folded up to keep from interfering with his brisk pace. He did not want the others to see that he, Zane Truesdale, was acting soft to a half-breed, even if it _was _a demidemon. The girl smiled, tucking herself as close to his chest as she could, demon-tail slowly receding. She closed her eyes, on the verge of drifting off, but refusing to do so until she was safely in a dorm. "It's okay," he soothed quietly in an undertone. "I won't let anything hurt you."

She laughed sleepily. "What's in it for you? The way I see it, you hate owing people."

"Exactly," he stated, smiling faintly. "I can't exactly repay you if you're dead or hurt, now can I?"

"Everything's easier that way though, isn't it? Then you'll never have to owe me anything again." She hoped to Ra he didn't say yes.

"Perhaps, but I'm not the kind of person who resolves my debts that way. I'd kill _for_ you but not you yourself."

"Mmm…" She said quietly. "I'm pretty sure that won't be necessary."

"I doubt it," he agreed, "but still."

"Your point's been made." She murmured, close to drifting off.

"Sleep," he soothed, pausing so that he could support her with his wings in order to stroke her hair softly. "You're safe with me." She nodded silently, allowing herself to drift off into a blissful sleep.

* * *

><p>Bastion awoke to a strange sight, none other than Chazz standing over him, oblivious to the other male's wakefulness. "What is it about you that draws me so?" he muttered to himself. "You're Nephilium, you aren't supposed to stir me in this way."<p>

The male in question made a quiet sound of surprise, eyes widening. "What the _hell_?" Chazz wheeled on him, wings flying out in surprise to try to protect him. The two stared at each other for a long moment, demon and angel, and then the former was gone, wrapped in shadow and retreating back out of the window that had been left unlocked. Bastion's white wings fluttered slightly, revealing his own pale feathers. "I don't understand why, but I feel the same way," he whispered to himself, slate-gray eyes thoughtful. "It may be forbidden for an angel to love a demon, but I can't help myself from giving into your draw. You captivate me, Chazz Princeton…"

* * *

><p>Cienna woke gently, blinking slowly and sitting up. "Mmm…" She said groggily, suddenly noticing the demon stretched out next to her. "Zane?" The demon groaned, burrowing deeper into the pillow, his ebony wing shifting slightly over her in order to cover her more completely in a blanket of feathery down. She smiled fondly, brushing her fingers though his feathers for a moment. Her voice emerged again, quieter this time. "How did we end up in the same bed?"<p>

"It's too early for cognitive thought," he complained sleepily, "but if you must know, you didn't want to let go of me last night, so I just let you sleep with me."

She blushed, something she noted happened a lot around Zane, and lay back down, settling comfortably under his wing. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he mumbled. "I felt a little bad about not being able to put you in something more comfortable than your uniform, but I didn't think you'd be comfortable with me changing you into something of mine."

She giggled bashfully. "Probably not…"

"Hmmm, I guess you finally got over Alexis then, Zane."

Cienna sat up in surprise, looking between Zane and Chazz with wide eyes. Remembering that she wasn't dating Zane, nor sleeping with him, she knew she couldn't comment. Instead she opted for a quiet. "Well hi there, Chazz. How's Bastion?"

"Why would _I_ know?" he growled, pulling a new shirt out of his closet.

Zane let out a groan, not even bothering to open his eyes. "It is _definitely_ too early for _this_."

The girl eyed Chazz, "Touchy this morning, huh?" She ran her fingers through Zane's feathers in an attempt to soothe his early-morning grumpiness. The demon let out a soft purring noise, the appendage moving slightly so that she could run her fingers a little deeper into the down.

"Who wouldn't be if they found their roommate with a random girl in their room first thing in the morning?" He peeled off his old shirt, throwing it into a hamper, his jacket having already found a home on a chair.

"It doesn't affect you, Chazz. It's not like I'm walking around your room naked or anything." She threw a smile at Zane, noting that he couldn't see her behind his closed eyes with a sigh.

"Trust me, he wishes you were," he stated cheekily, digging out a new pair of pants too.

"Shut up," Zane muttered darkly, his tone promising death if his fellow demon didn't stop talking right about now.

Cienna rolled her eyes, nudging Zane's wings out of her way and sliding off of her bed. "I should probably go get ready for school." She gave the Truesdale's wing another good stroke. "Thanks, Zane."

"You're welcome, Cienna." Now that she was leaving, he sat up, the sheet falling down to reveal he had throw his own shirt in the hamper the night before and his blue jacket was hanging on the back of the door.

She turned bright red at the sight of the bare chest, immediately whirling around and hiding her blush from him. "Why're you hiding, little demidemon, you're going to see it all eventually," the Princeton mocked, ducking into the shared bathroom with a dark chuckle.

She turned an even deeper shade of red, struggling out with a, "I have n-no clue what you're talking about, Princeton…"

"You should probably go," Zane advised her softly. "Jaden will likely be looking for you."

She nodded sharply, immediately exiting the room and racing towards her shared dorm. She threw the door open and collapsed face-first on her bed, "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod."

"What happened?" Bastion asked tiredly, shrugging on his yellow Ra jacket. "And where were you last night?"

She shook her head into her pillow, then sat up. "Nothing and nowhere." She ran to the closet and started digging out a skirt and jacket. Thoughts of Zane shirtless hit her again and she groaned, slamming her head against the door and trying to scrub her blush from her face.

"Doesn't sound like nothing or nowhere," he stated dryly. "And do you know what's up with Jaden? I figured he would have been bouncing around in here by now since we _did _get the day off."

"Do you really care whether it's nothing and nowhere?" She shot back, closing the bathroom door behind her as she pulled on her uniform. "And Jaden… he'll be okay." She couldn't keep the uncertainty from her voice.

"Not really," he answered. "And we should probably run by to make sure he's okay."

She sighed, pulling her skirt over her hips and opening the door, running a brush through her hair. "I dunno... He'll come to us if he wants us. If he doesn't, he'll stay with Syrus."

* * *

><p>Jaden whimpered, his body shuddering, his new black feathers only about half the length they were supposed to be. Syrus appeared at his side, setting a hand on the brunet's arm. "You'll be alright, Jaden."<p>

"Don't leave me, Syrus," he panted, pulling the smaller boy down beside him. "Don't leave me."

The blue-haired boy nodded. "Of course not." He settled in beside the other male, being careful not to touch his wings.

Jaden nuzzled him happily, wincing when a little more of his feathers came out. "I like you, Syrus, I like you a lot."

Syrus was rather unsure of what exactly that meant. "Yeah, I like you too, Jaden."

"You can pet the feathers if you want to, Sy. I won't mind."

He winced at the thought. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"You won't, Sy," the brunet soothed. "You won't ever hurt me."

He still hesitated, eventually reaching out to stroke the feathers softly. "You're sure that doesn't hurt?"

Jaden let out a little growling purr, relaxing into Syrus's hold as some of his feathers were gently pulled further out of their sheaths. "No," he reassured the younger. "It feels really good."

Syrus smiled softly. "Good." He continued to stroke the other boy's feathers, eliciting soft purrs from the other boy.

* * *

><p>Chazz's feathers positively gleamed after his shower, though he knew they would likely end up dirty again by the end of the day, especially since he'd be practicing with his swordplay today.<p>

Zane sat on his bed, watching the door with an aggravated look. He sighed when Chazz stepped out. "You're as bad as a _girl_."

"Oh shut up, at least I don't preen like a _bird_," he replied, grabbing his jacket and throwing it around his shoulders.

The other boy rolled his eyes. "I don't _preen_."

Chazz raised his eyebrows. "Could have fooled me with the way you like running your fingers through your wings _and_ Cienna grooming them too."

"It's not preening to take care of my wings." He scowled, pushing past Chazz to the shower.

"Uh huh, sure." He paused by the door. "Oh yeah, and keep your girlfriend away from my training area, I don't want to have to deal with _both_ of you trying to kill me."

"She's not my girlfriend," Zane sighed. "And I don't think that'll be much of a problem."

"Doesn't matter if she is or not," he replied, his wings folding up on his back. "I don't want her undermining me in front of a class, got it?"

"I doubt she wants to deal with you any more than you do her. So yeah, sure."

* * *

><p>Cali: *singing* Never ending loaaading screen...<p>

Die: Didja like my lemon? If you did, please leave a review. We'll give you... um... Jaden's unfinished homework?

Jaden: HELL YEAH!

Die: Yep, we'll give you that.

Cali: ...Hello Jaden.

Cienna: Is that the sine homework? *glare*

Jaden: ... I DIDN'T DO IT! *runs off to go hide behind Syrus*

Cienna: ...His mom's gonna kill me...

Die: He has a MOM?

Cienna: Yep. Single mother. Sweet lady, actually... but I'm supposed to be helping Dufus over there pass... and if we give away his homework, how the fuck's that supposed to work?

Die: ... You say that as if he doesn't sleep in class AND actually does the work anyway...

Cienna: ...

Cali: So, we'll give you Jaden's unfinished homework if you review. So please do... bye! *wave*


	4. Chapter 4: Holy Healing

Die: ... Wow, it's been a while.

Chazz: No shit.

Bastion: You should have updated months ago.

Die: *hits them both* NO ONE ASKED YOU!

Jaden: *looks up* Hey, where's Cali?

Die: She doesn't live nearby and hasn't been around my place for a while, I'm just updating since it's been so long...

Jaden: Oh, okay then.

Chazz: Hey, maybe if someone says the disclaimer, she'll shut up!

Bastion: Neither of these two own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Four: Holy Healing<p>

Bastion stepped into the gym, ignoring the harsh stench of sweat that permeated the air. Scattered throughout the building, students were going at some kind of exercise. It seemed like the only sport they _didn't_ have anything for was Equestrian—which changed automatically when you went around the back. He sighed contentedly, looking around at the gym and at the single-mindedness of the people in it. "All right," a familiar voice barked, "you move the sword blade up into the position and then swing it down to counter any stabs in a forward sweep."

Bastion turned sharply, eyes wide. "You've got to be _kidding_ me," he grumbled, watching Chazz moving his sword elegantly and forcing himself to not notice the elegance with which he moved the heavy blade. The demon sighed, tapping wooden swords gently into place with the blade in his hands, the only one whose weapon was steel and also handled his weapon with any grace offered by experience and comfort with the item in his hands. Bastion eyed the sword in his hand, curiosity getting the better of him as he edged closer, careful not to move so fast as to grab the attention of the focused demon.

Chazz pretended not to notice that he'd caught the scent of the other male, only a slight prickling in his wings betraying his nervousness at letting someone stay at his back, but he took confidence in the wire-wrapped hilt in his hands and his knowledge of how to use the blade more than well enough to take a head from its shoulders without a thought. Bastion watched the demon fix the positioning of blades, bark out commands, and sigh exasperatedly when someone absolutely didn't get it. _He's really good at this_.

Wheeling on his heel, Chazz's blade struck out in an uppercut that stopped merely a few inches from Bastion's head. "And that, students," the demon announced, lowering his sword to his side with a flick of his wrist, "is how you ambush someone following you without them realizing until it's too late for them to react."

Bastion took in a sharp breath. "What the hell?"

"You, my poor naive Misawa, just became an example for my class," the demon informed, casually adding, "and if you wanted to remain oblivious to me, you should have remained downwind. A demon whose traits lean more towards animalistic or vampiric in nature tends to have a more sensitive sense of smell than most."

Bastion flushed, "Noted, Princeton."

"You know, you're welcome to wait around, the class is almost over. I wouldn't mind giving you a private lesson."

Bastion gave him a suspicious look. "I don't know..."

He threw a smirk over his shoulder as he nudged a student's stance into place. "I promise, I won't kill you. I took up swordplay for my own defence, not to intentionally hurt others."

Still uncertain, Bastion looked at the students for a moment. He then concluded it was okay to trust Chazz. "Fine."

"Excellant," the demon replied, a single foot coming out to knock some footwork wider. "Would you prefer steel or wood?"

"Um..." He had no clue what to pick. "Wood, I guess."

Chazz nodded. "Wood... a fine choice for a practicer but not so much for practical use. Still, considering that Crowler disagrees with even _me_ using the same metal blade I learned with, it's likely a good idea that you use one of the wooden practice swords rather than one of my own steel blades."

"Right." Bastion said slowly, wondering why the monologue was necessary.

"Still, I figured you'd be better starting with the steel," he continued, talking to himself as he absently collected the swords and stowed them away. "I had to because my style is more for a rapier, but you look like you could handle more of a broadsword type style."

"Well I guess I'll do that, then." Uncertainty crossed his face.

Chazz shrugged, letting his wings slip out a little and massaging the joints with his free hand. "We can do whichever, it all depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to be able to use the swordplay in the future, it's probably best to simply go straight to the steel, but if it's just for fun, wood's a fine substitute and not nearly as heavy or cumbersome." It was almost amusing that he called his own steel blade heavy and cumbersome since the demon handled it with such grace and precision that the weapon seemed to weigh next to nothing.

"I think I'll be good with steel."

The demon couldn't contain a grin at the news, delighted in a way he shouldn't have been about anything involving an angel, let alone this particular one. "It's been a long time since I've ever clashed steel to steel with someone," he remarked fondly, rummaging around in a locker and pulling out a beautiful sheath with a katana inside it. "I apologize for the lack of a broadsword, but this is another one of mine, and it'll likely take you a little while to build up some strength for the broadsword, so this will do until I can get the actual weapon in."

The angel took the sword, jumping a bit when his hand brushed the demon's. Had it been anyone else, he would've passed it off as tension, but he knew that wasn't it.

"So," Chazz asked lightly, folding his wings back behind him again, tucking them up to his back and against his shoulder blades, "shall we begin?"

"Let's." Bastion braced himself.

However, Chazz did not spring forward like he did before. Instead, he sheathed his sword at his waist and moved around behind Bastion, rearranging the angel's limbs with a feather-light touch, explaining things all the while. In fact, for the entire lesson, the demon did not make a motion to attack that wasn't part of the teaching curriculum.

* * *

><p>Jaden purred softly, nuzzling into Syrus's stomach as the younger boy pet the now-fully fledged black feathers, glad his instincts had told him that another's touch would speed up the normally-painless process. He'd been through more than a few molts before, but never had it been quite so painful before.<p>

Syrus smiled, relishing in the softness of the older boy's feathers. "Feeling any better?"

"Much," he replied, raising his green eyes up to look at those of his friend. "Are you afraid of me, Syrus?"

Syrus appeared surprised. "Why would I be?"

"Because I fell and became a half-demon."

"They deserved what they got and... you're still my friend, Jaden. I don't care if you fell."

The brunet stared at him for a long moment, then threw himself at his smaller friend, his newly-feathered wings wrapping the little angel in a protective blanket of night. "I love you, Sy. I love you so much."

The boy flushed. "Yeah, I love you too, Jaden."

"I'll keep you safe," he whispered, nuzzling the mass of sky-blue hair affectionately. "I promise."

Syrus flushed a little deeper. "Thanks."

"Do you want to go out today, Sy?" he asked, not wanting to imprison the other inside of their quarters simply out of sympathy for him. "I'm sure I could hide my wings under my jacket."

"Won't that hurt?"The younger asked concerndly.

He shook his head. "Not anymore, my molt's over."

"You're sure?"

"Short of someone actually yanking my feathers out, I'll be fine, Sy. Promise."

"Okay. If you want to go out, that's okay. I don't really care either way..."

Jaden smiled ruefully. "I likely should, I still have to apologize to Cienna for last night..."

"It might be a good idea." The younger boy agreed.

Regretfully, Jaden pulled his wings back, folding the inky appendages against his shoulders and covering them with his red Slipher jacket. He'd liked it when Syrus had ran his fingers through his feathers... it had made him feel important.

Syrus smiled. "Any idea where she'll be?"

The brunet shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Well I guess we'd better start looking then." Syrus said cheerily.

* * *

><p>Cienna sat with her back to the forest and a sketchbook in her lap. Her pencil whisked across the page, depicting none other than Gabriel. A soft smile captivated her face as she came to a stop. "This one's good." She murmured to herself.<p>

"You know, no Gabriel is complete without his Lucifer."

She looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Your sketch," Zane elaborated, combing through his dark feathers since he hadn't taken the time to properly groom them when he'd finished with his shower. "Are you going to add in Lucifer for Gabriel?"

"I thought about it." She said, keeping her voice calm despite her internal struggle at the topic. "But I usually don't..."

His feathers ruffled slightly beneath his fingers, which had paused. "Strange," he mused softly, "a demidemon who has more connection with an angel than a demon."

"That's not it." She replied evenly, flipping through previous pages to display a lot more sketches of Lucifer than Gabriel. "I draw them both. Just not together."

"Why not? They were both outcasts among their own kinds for being lovers." His fingers resumed their petting, straightening the drying feathers.

She looked flustered, "I just don't."

"Interesting."

She sighed, closing her sketchbook with more force than was necessary. "Why are you spending time on me, Zane? I'm just a half-breed."

"True," the demon stated absently, "but you're trustworthy and honest, unlike most with demon blood."

"What makes you think you can trust me? What do you even know about me?"

He was quiet for a long moment, fingers pausing again as he gave the matter some honest thought. "I don't know _why_ I trust you," he murmured softly. "I just... do."

She raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound anything like the infamous Zane Truesdale."

He shrugged. "I don't need to put up that front around you since you obviously aren't impressed or intimidated by it, so what would be the point?"

"What exactly does that mean? Do you actually care?"

He sighed. "Do you know how an angel becomes a demon?"

"A single moment of darkness in the soul." Her thoughts were torn between Zane and Jaden.

"Yes, but do you know _why_ an angel falls?" he pressed.

She thought for a moment. "Not really."

"It's because, in for that one moment, that angel believes he has lost something dearer to him than his own life," His voice was cold, harsh with memories half-forgotten. "He will be willing to do anything to get it back, and so thus he gains that thing back... at the cost of what he was."

She couldn't think of anything she could say, anything to make it better. She set a gentle hand on his own, offering a sad smile.

"That's how most angels fall. But Chazz and I... we were put together because we were alike. We didn't fall because we lost something dear. We fell because we turned fully into the dark."

Cienna didn't shy away or say a word, she just moved a bit closer, leaning against him lightly.

"Even then, though, Chazz and I are different. Chazz was dragged kicking and screaming into this when I... I embraced it fully."

She gently twisted her fingers through his, "You don't seem so bad."

"Maybe not now," he admitted, his wings shifting closer to himself, "but that's mainly because my little brother fished me out of the gutter."

"Syrus seems like the type." She said quietly, ceasing any advancement after feeling his wings shift.

His wings pulled closer still, trying to warm himself up from the cold memories. "Yeah, he's a sweet kid. I wonder why the hell he's my brother sometimes, but I guess the universe has a sick sense of humor."

"The universe doesn't do anything without reason." She murmured, squeezing his hand.

He laughed coldly. "Its reasoning must be pretty suck if it let what happened to Chazz actually happen."

She sighed, "Bad things happen. Awful things. There's got to be a reason." She sounded much less sure of herself.

"Yes, but why him?" he asked, stressing on the subject to the point where his fisting hand caught some of his feathers and ripped them straight from his wing without him noticing. "He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"Stop." She said quietly, turning and rocking forward onto her toes as she stared at the place where the feathers had been pulled. Her fingers skimmed over his wing, barely there. "You're hurting yourself."

He winced softly, removing his fingers as his wing shot forward into her hand, the few victim feathers still clutched in his hand. "Sorry," he whispered softly.

"No need to apologize." She murmured, turning to him. Her fingers traced his jaw, delicate, feather-light.

He smiled gently at the gesture as he turned his gaze down towards the feathers, carefully examining them until he found one that was unharmed from its trials. "Here," he murmured, pro-offering it. "For you."

She paused, slowly reaching for it, intentionally brushing her fingers against his. "Thank you..."

"Of course." He returned to brushing out his wings, trying to get out the last of the damp.

"Zane?" She was unusually soft spoken.

"Yes?" His voice was softer as well, gently encouraging her to go on even though his eyes remained fixated on his task.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

She gestured to the feather, to him, to herself. "Why all this? Why talk to me? Why give me the time of day? If there's something to this... I deserve to know."

"If you had asked me that a week ago," he said, "I would have been able to tell you, but now... I don't quite know that answer."

"What am I supposed to think, then? I don't want to... think it's one way only to find out it's not. I won't let you toy with me, Truesdale."

He sighed, pulling her into an embrace, his inky-black wings coming around to hide her from the world. "I may not know exactly what I want with you," he murmured softly, "but you sure as hell aren't a toy, Cienna."

She breathed out, instantly relaxing with him around her. "Don't you feel it?" She whispered, almost to herself.

"Feel what?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know exactly what to call it..." She paused for a long moment. "But there's something that... I dunno... won't let me keep away."

He bit his lip. "Sort of," he explained softly. "For me, it's that I always know where you are, sort of like what Chazz tells me is akin to how he scents out someone he's familiar with."

"Like last night..." She breathed. "That's how you found me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but there was something else involved last night too. I just... had a bad feeling."

It was her turn to bite her lip. "Yeah..."

"Don't you think it would be prudent for us to check up on Chazz? I left him unsupervised with a dangerous weapon."

"I'm not sure he really wants me around." She said with a laugh. After a moment of silence, she laughed again. "Well I suppose it may take two people to keep him from killing someone."

* * *

><p>Jaden plopped himself down on the ground, childishly crossing his arms and pouting when Syrus turned to look at him when he felt the jerk on his hand since he was leading the other boy around. "I'm tired!" the brunet complained. "I bet Cienna's off wherever it is she goes most nights and we're never gonna find her."<p>

"We haven't even covered half the campus." Syrus said with a small laugh.

Jaden groaned, tipping his head back. "We'll _never_ find her at this rate."

"Oh, c'mon, Jaden. Who knows, maybe she's right around here."

"No!" he demanded childishly, wriggling his ass to accentuate his point. "I am staying right here, so help me Syrus!"

"Well fine then. You can't find her to apologize." Syrus shrugged. "Who knows how long she'll be mad?"

"Hey," Jaden announced, distracted, "is that _Chazz_ with _Bastion_?"

"What are you sm-" Syrus turned, gaping at the sight. "What the _hell_?"

Chazz and Bastion were so close it looked like the demon was practically plastered onto the angel's back, his mouth moving by the tanned ear as his pale limbs rearranged the sun-kissed ones appropriately to demonstrate the proper stance he was attempting to teach. "I thought they hated each other," Jaden breathed, green eyes wide and drinking in the view.

"Yeah, me too..." Syrus muttered in wonder.

"Yes, well, Chazz Princeton took up swordplay in order to feel safe, not to murder his enemies in cold blood."

"Still don't trust him." Cienna chimed with a laugh. She leaned against Zane ever so slightly. "Hi guys."

A yelp came from the other side of the room, followed closely by the clatter of a sword onto the ground. "Oh Gods, Chazz, I'm so sorry!" Bastion cried, looking at the bent-over Obelisk cradling his right hand to his chest with his left, his black wings having come out defensively.

Cienna threw a look at Zane, "Do we need to intervene?" Her gaze fell to Jaden almost immediately after, looking him over carefully.

"Let me see it," Bastion murmured softly, slowly approaching the other and gently reaching out to tug his right wrist from where it was tucked against his sternum.

The demon shook his head. "No. Chazz may hurt him, but he won't kill him."

"This is gonna be interesting..."

Chazz reluctantly revealed a palm that had a large gash down the length of it that dripped crimson blood heavily, his wings tense with Bastion's closeness and his own vulnerability. "It's okay," the angel soothed after a moment of inspection. "I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, if you'll let me, I'll even heal it for you."

The girl smiled. "Finally."

In exaggeratedly slow movements carefully watched by the injured demon, Bastion pressed his lips to the gash, peppering the broken skin with his mouth all the way up its length and ignoring the vermillion staining the pink.

"What the hell?" Jaden spluttered, green eyes wide.

Cienna stayed silent, watching the spectacle with a wide grin. She eased herself to the ground beside the brunet.

Bastion's mouth lingered over the injured hand, trailing back down the length of the healing cut despite Chazz's shudder.

"Yuki, don't you remember the phrase 'kiss it better'? It's a reference to the ability of vampire saliva to close wounds, though there are legends that some of the more powerful angels also had the same ability." Zane's wings ruffled slightly, bristling with his annoyance.

"No need to be harsh, Zane." Cienna cut in. She threw a look at the brunet. "But you really should've remembered that one, Kid."

"I don't blame Jaden for not remembering, it's a really obscure myth from an angel's perspective, and I don't think I've ever heard of a Nephilium having it," Syrus murmured softly.

Even though the wound was closed, the black-haired angel didn't want his angel with a scar on his hand, so he carefully ran his mouth up and down the cut once more, pulling away from a blushing Chazz. "Bastion..." the demon murmured softly, looking vulnerable, "I..." He shook his head, firming his jaw and his wings. "I think we should call it a day on the practice, all right? Just come around here on our next day off and I'll give you another session."

Cinna's grin widened. "Y'know, I was really doubting this would actually happen, but I was right again. I'm getting to be pretty acurate."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "Don't count on it, Chazz would give a lesson in swordplay to Gabriel himself if the angel asked for it."

At the mention of the infamous angel, Cienna's face became a blank mask. "Right. You know him better than me so whatever..."

Syrus bit his lip, slightly confused. He'd never heard of a half-angel having the ability to heal with a kiss, let alone one who would actually do so for a demon. "Hey Jaden," he murmured softly, "do you think something's up with Chazz and Bastion?"

The brunet looked at him strangely. "Like what?"

"I don't know. There's just something... off about this whole thing."

"What do you mean 'off'?" Jaden asked, cocking his head cutely to one side.

"I've _never_ heard of a Nephilim that could do that. Or one that would do that for a demon."

"Hey!" the brunet protested, "I would've done it if I could!" Underneath his jacket, his wings stirred slightly, protesting against their confinement.

Syrus sighed, setting a hand on the boy's back, between his shoulder blades where his wings were folded. "Yeah, but you're one of the nicest people here..."

"I bet that's not true, there are _bound_ to be other nice people!" He leaned into the touch, calming once they were connected.

"Not as nice as you."

Jaden blushed, hiding behind his hair in a manner that practically screamed if he had his wings out, they would have been used to hide behind as well. Syrus laughed quietly.

Cienna raced after Bastion, who was leaving the gym with a ridculous speed. "Hey! Bastion, wait up!"

He paused, not turning to look at her. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk. Sheesh." She said, catching up to him and offering a smile. He waited rather impatiently for her to continue. "So Chazz isn't trying to kill you anymore, eh?" She grinned. "That's good."

"I don't think so," he stated. "But I don't understand how a demon's mind works."

Her grin grew. "You healed his hand."

"So? I flinched back when one of his feathers brushed my arm, and my blade cut his hand while he was positioning it. It was only right that I fix it."

"It's a good excuse." She said with a smirk.

He stared at her for a long moment with piercing slate-gray eyes. "I don't ask you about something that isn't there between you and Zane Truesdale, so you should manage to be able to do the same for Chazz and me."

She flushed, turning her gaze to the ground. "Sorry..."

"It's okay, Cienna. He just asked me out of the blue to do this whole swordplay-thing with him and I didn't turn him down to be polite."

"Cienna!" Jaden cried, suddenly remembering the point of his excursion. "Listen, Cienna, I'm sorry about last night, I don't know what came over me, honest!"

She turned, offering the brunet a smile, trying to fight down the images assaulting her mind. "It's fine. How are you, by the way?"

He smiled, happily wrapping his arms around Syrus as if he was trying to make up for the lack of his smaller wings having to hide beneath his red jacket by instead clinging to the smaller angel. "Fine. Never better, actually."

"That's great, Hun. I was a little worried last night."

"It's just _molting_, Cienna, I would've lived."

* * *

><p>Chazz looked at his hand again, waiting for a line to appear that he instinctively knew wouldn't appear, the fingers of his left absently tracing the path of the gash that had been there earlier, before those wonderfully soft lips had brushed tenderly over the broken skin and...<p>

"Admiring his handiwork, Princeton?"

Ebony eyes narrowed defensively. "What's it matter to you, Truesdale, jealous?" he scoffed, burying a hand in his black hair while running the other suggestively down the front of his uniform shirt.

"That's _totally_ it. How did you know?" The teal-haired boy replied sarcastically.

"Simple," he replied with the same amount of bite to his words. "I saw the way you oogled my ass in the gym showers and how _eager_ you were to get my clothes off last week."

Zane rolled his eyes. "Of course you did."

"Listen, as much as I would _love_ for you to fuck me into next week, I don't _do_ submissive, so get to the point of what you're trying to say, I have things I need to do."

"You were blushing pretty badly after the angel bastard healed you up. That's all."

"Oh shut up, Zane," he growled, turning his head to the side and bringing his wing around subtly so that the tip could hide his slightly pink cheeks. "No one asked for your big-headed opinion."

He smirked. "I know."

"So," he began, smirking himself as he threw himself on his bed, lounging on the mattress and tossing his shirt off to the side, the contrast of his dark wings and pale skin making him look sinfully erotic, "What's up with you and that Oliver chic?"

Zane shrugged. "Nothing."

"Then why exactly is it that our room and _both_ of our beds smell like her?" he produced smugly. "After all, it isn't as if _I_ could have invited her in seeing as I've been pretty much living on the roof for the past week."

Again, Zane shrugged. "Just because she's been here, something must be up?"

"Usually, no," he conceded, "especially since I found you two sleeping together this morning _and_ you rather like having other people use my bed as a chair when they're visiting, but there's one thing you hadn't counted on that gave you away, Truesdale."

"Oh?" Zane said, still disconnected. "And what might that be?"

Chazz shot him a fanged grin. "The fact that I can differentiate how strongly a scent lingers on an object, and trust me, Miss Oliver's scent is _far_ too strong for there not to be some interest on your part."

"Mmm." Zane did a fairly good job of hiding his reaction, with the small exception of his quick tensing after his roommate's words.

"Fine then," the vampiric demon announced, shifting his position so that his back was to the wall and his wings were firmly wrapped around himself. "I won't tell you what else I learned from her scent, simply because you're refusing to tell me anything about her at all."

Curiosity marked his face. "What do you mean?"

A single finger shot out, waggling at him. "Nope, you don't get to know because you won't give me anything in return."

Zane sighed, torn between curiosity and not wanting to inform his roommate. Curiosity won out. "Anything in particular you want to know?"

Ebony eyes gleamed mischieviously. "All I want to know is this, Zane: is she a playtoy or a potential mate?"

Zane's pause spoke volumes. "I... think she could be a mate." He lowered his eyes to the bed. "Now spill. What else can you tell?"

"Her scent," here the young Princeton paused, thinking about how to best explain it and going with the blunt version. "It's too holy for one with demon blood, even if it _is_ a bastard. Part of me thought it was simply because of her hanging out around those two angels Jaden and Syrus, since all three of them have similar scents, but now that I've gotten hers isolated... I think it's something else, something _involving_ the three of them rather than the two rubbing off on her."

* * *

><p>Chazz: ... Yay, it worked!<p>

Die: Actually, I just let you guys get on with it.

Chazz: *glares*

Jaden: Reviews mean more updates! And Chazz will give you a swordfighting lesson!

Chazz: NO I WON'T!

Bastion: *is trying to use katana from earlier*

Chazz: ... *goes to help him*

Die: Yes he will...

Jaden: Good night everyone! *falls asleep*


	5. Chapter 5: Holy Slumber

Die: *sigh* I'm a fail... I went to upload the next chapter, only to realize I hadn't put up this one either... which is why you're getting two updates today! Enjoy!

Pharaoh: Maow! (That's cat-talk for "Neither Black Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX".)

* * *

><p>Chapter Five: Holy Slumber<p>

Cienna walked up to Zane's door with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a smile on her face. She knocked lightly. He opened the door quickly, sliding out and gently closing it behind him. "Chazz decided to sleep in his own bed tonight," he explained softly in an undertone.

She groaned. "Fuck. Really?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is he already asleep?"

"Yes, otherwise I never would have gotten out so easily." He neglected to mention that he could sense it now that he knew what to look for, that aura of innocence that shouldn't quite have been there.

"Dammit. There's no fucking way I could get Bastion over here..." She groaned again, resisting the urge to bang her head against the wall.

His dark wings slipped out from where they hid behind his back. "Well, _I_ can certainly do it. Is he asleep already?"

She nodded, giving him a cross between a smile and grimace. "He's gonna _hate_ me."

He smirked. "And who says he's ever going to find out that it was us who put him in Chazz's bed with him?"

She shook her head with a laugh. "Oh God..." She stared at Zane for a long minute, then gestured for him to follow her. "C'mon, then."

He nodded, falling in step behind her, his wings rustling in a very quiet manner as he resettled them against his back once more.

The trek was a short one, filled with comfortable silence and, on Cienna's part, happy thoughts. She slid the door open quietly, dropping her backpack on her bed and nodding at Bastion's.

"Give me a moment," he breathed as quietly as he could, his breath ghosting over the shell of her ear as he strode past her and carefully picked Bastion up bridal style, carrying him out through the window, his dark wings easily catching them both and carrying them back towards the Obelisk dorm.

She stared after them with an impish grin, heading towards the bathroom to change into something more comfortable. She emerged a few minutes later in a pair of short shorts and a Panic! At the Disco t-shirt.

He was already waiting for her lying in her bed, his dark wings hiding themselves handsomely in the shadows, though his mercury eyes didn't stop following her every movement. If it had been anyone else, it would have been a wary responce, but since it was her, it was simply a habit without any real intent.

She smiled. "Well this is new."

"What is?" he asked, a little too tired to think properly. Chazz may have gotten to bed early, but of course, he had stayed up later, his mind pre-occupied with what he'd learned.

"You being over here." Her smile faltered. "Are... you okay?"

"I just... have a lot on my mind," he answered softly, waving away the concern.

"All right." She murmured, laying down beside him and pressing her lips to his cheek gently. She settled herself comfortably at his side. "Goodnight, Zane."

"Goodnight," he answered, instinctively bringing his wing around to cover her, even though his mind was still whirring over the revelation. She really was too innocent for one with demon blood, which begged the question: what the hell was the girl he was so fond of?

She drifted off easily, and a short while later, he did too—only to be awoken a few hours later. Cienna's golden-brown eyes snapped wide open, a careening wail tearing at her throat, and as she bolted up her wings snapped out, ripping jagged holes in her t-shirt. She cut the scream short, trembling so hard she shook the bed. The gray feathers of her wings trembled with the rest of her, tears beginning to cascade down her face. Her hands scrabbled for a hold on something, eventually digging into her own arms and drawing blood. She crumpled in on herself. "No." She whimpered frantically. "No... Daddy please... no!"

Despite the questions burning in his mind, the demon, drawing on his half-forgotten memories of comforting a much-younger Syrus after a nightmare, reached out and pulled the trembling girl to him, sitting up and tucking his wings around her to make a tent of warm velveteen.

She burrowed into the warmth he offered, sobs shaking her furiously. "No, Daddy _please_ don't."

He stroked down her hair and into the feathers of her wings, slightly surprised at their size but not bothering to question it at the moment. "Shh, it's okay, you're safe here," he murmured. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

She pulled herself impossibly closer, trembling slowly easing, sobs turning less violent. She folded her storm-gray apendages against her back. Shakily, she lifted her face to see his face. Horror made her eyes wide and her face pale.

His own wings eased slightly, opening up on the top but remaining with the edges overlapping. "What did you dream about?" he asked softly, not pausing in his stroking of her hair and wings.

"My parents." She whispered, burying her face in his chest.

He shivered delicately at the feel of her breath ghosting over his bare chest but remained silent, his movements keeping their soothing rhythm. "I'm sorry," he offered, not quite sure what to do now. It had been so long since he'd last given comfort to anyone, and Syrus had been content just by taking in the other's warmth.

"They're dead." She murmured. Her fingers reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks.

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just pulled her even closer, hoping to reassure her with the evidence of his continued presence.

She sighed softly, shaking her head and pulling away from Zane. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

His wings were fast, shooting back into their previous position and locking together, keeping her close. "Don't you remember what I told you last night?" he growled, eyes burning with unfathomable emotions.

"Which part?" Her voice trembled.

"About you being safe with me, how I won't let anything hurt you. I didn't say those things lightly, Cienna. I _can't_ say those things lightly."

"I know. I didn't say I'm not safe. I said it's not you problem." Confusion laced her face and voice.

"There's more than one type of hurt, Cienna," he elaborated. "I never said I was going to discriminate which type I protected you from."

Tears welled up in her eyes again. "Zane... I'm not your problem."

He reached out and pulled her to him again, this time constricting his wings around her so that a part of him was all the way around her. "No, you're not," he agreed softly. "You're my **kentouchigaino ****tenshi***."

She inhaled slowly, surprise evident. "Zane... I'm not an angel."

"Of course not, **tenshi**," he murmured, pressing his face into her hair and greedily inhaling the scent of her.

She gasped at the gesture, leaning into him. "And yet you call me one." She breathed.

"Because you are my **kentouchigaino** **tenshi**," he stated, relaxing slightly now that he was almost certain she wouldn't move away.

"What exactly does that entail?" She giggled, turning her head so her face was a few inches from his.

"Nothing," he replied, ghosting a kiss on her cheek. "Absolutely nothing."

She giggled again, nervously this time. Flush crept up her neck to her face. "_No_ expectations?"

He shook his head. "Not for you, **tenshi**. You're fine just the way you are."

She laughed. "Well I'm not entirely sure about _that_."

"I am."

Her smile turned soft, her hand moving up to settle on his cheek. "Then I trust you."

"Trust me with what?" His heart rose into his throat, somehow knowing that this simply _had_ to be about her angelic nature.

"The truth." She said softly, looking at the cocoon of velvet around her before bringing her eyes to meet his. "If you want it."

"Of course I do," he replied, pulling his wings back slightly since he thought the look was about his clingyness. "You're my **kentouchigaino** **tenshi**, and I'm going to protect you from the world."

* * *

><p><em>He could feel <em>them_ closing in on him, _their_ leecherous grins plastered on _their_ faces as _they_ pinned him down beneath a kalediscope of multicolored wings. He could feel _their_ hands trailing down his body in a way he knew was wrong, hear the sounds of _them_ ripping out his feathers one by toucherous one as _they_ laughed cruelly and took pleasure in his pain, see _them_ take turns with him like he was nothing more than a toy. Pain burned at him, slicing him in half, and he screamed, cowering._

_But wait. There was something close, something soothing. No, not something, he realized as he brushed against a shifting softness that was too bright to be his own dark feathers, but someone. He threw himself forward into the warmth, burrowing his face in the reassuring scent, his wings still wrapped around himself protectively. Pristine light came around him, covering his sin, but he let out a plantative whine, wanting the promise of acceptance, which he recieved in the form of a pair of arms wrapping around his trembling body. He was safe here. He may not have liked being so close to someone who was so much like _them_, but this scent, this wonderful glorious scent, promised him safety and warmth, and he trusted it with that, oh gods he trusted it. He did not want to be broken again..._

Bastion, in turn, awoke slowly. The first thing that hit him was the warmth wrapped in his arms, then the softness of another's feathers. But that was impossible, he thought groggily. He hadn't fallen asleep remotely _near_ anyone. The only one that had been around was Cienna, and she had been on her own bed, packing a bag. He sighed, chalking it up to some odd ligering effects of his dream. And then he heard the soft whine that had been in his dream. His eyes snapped open. None other than Chazz Princeton rested in his arms, looking unbearably innocent in his sleep. Then it really struck him. He, Bastion Maisawa, was _in bed_ with Chazz Princeton. He swallowed down his surprise, attempting to worm away from the demon without waking him.

_No! The warmth was trying to leave him! He let out a cry, launching himself forward, his recently-calmed trembling starting anew. If he was left alone, _they_ would come back again, and then he'd be hurt and sorry that he'd ever found this person, so very sorry. He did not want to be sorry, not when the scent was so soothing and the light was so perfect. His dark feathers fluttered and bristled slightly with his agaitation, torn between helping him keep the warmth here and wrapping around him to keep him safer._

Bastion froze in surprise when Chazz moved closer, biting his lip. _He's dreaming_ he reminded himself. _But... What could a little while longer hurt_? He stayed where he was, pulling Chazz to him again, resting his cheek atop the other male's head.

_Ah, much better. He was safe, the warmth had stayed, and even better, he had been allowed closer still to the person who had tried to abandon him. He happily nuzzled into the expanse before him that a dim, blank part of him recognized as the jugular of whomever he was lying with, but despite his contentment, he couldn't help wondering where the light had gone. He reached out a hand, searching plantatively for the softness that had once been wrapped around his whole body like a blanket, wanting another layer of protection from the darkness that lurked like a black hole inside him. He just knew that if he was surrounded by the light and in the arms of the warmth, he would be safe and _they_ wouldn't be able to come back._

Bastion struggled with his own emotions at this point, unsure of what exactly he wanted from the sleeping male and of what that would mean. Despite that, his wings closed around them both, like a velvet blanket.

_He smiled contentedly now, secure with the knowledge that the light was back. His own wings loosened from where they were wrapped around him like a straight-jacket, instead moving so that one added the warmth to its embrace without leaving the offered protection and the other slipped back under the light and across the bed behind him._

The angel couldn't help but smile, enjoying the sight before him. He couldn't stop himself from running a hand through the demon's inky black hair.

_And now he was being pet too? By the gods he must have done _something_ right! As he let out a contented purr and leaned into the touch, he tightened his fingers on the light he'd grasped, marvelling at the wonderful downy softness clenched in his palm. It almost felt like feathers, but that wasn't right, not even _Zane_ had feathers as soft as _this_..._

The demon his his embrace purred, the sound sending tingles through Bastion. He _had_ to hear that again. He stroked the jet-black hair again, easing a bit into the feelings that had taken hold of his heart. Giving into instinct was far too easy then, almost as easy as telling Jaden he was an idiot. He sighed contentedly, smile growing larger as he became more comfortable.

_He felt really rather tired, his strength seeping away with all the attention he was recieving, but he couldn't contain a chill at the notion that he might lose his warmth to _them_. He had to mark this person, it was the only way to save him, if only because _they_ would realize it was his mark and then turn onto him instead. With this thought in mind, he thought nothing of bestowing a harsh nip to the jaw in front of him, his elongating fangs managing to draw blood._

Jerking back, Bastion let out a hiss of pain as Chazz's vampiric teeth dug into his jaw. Blood dripped slowly from the wound, a small cry errupting from his throat. "Ow!"

_At the sudden removal of the light, he realized he'd done something very wrong. He let out a small whimper, apologetically leaning forward to soothe the small wound with his tongue. He hadn't meant to hurt his protector, merely bestow something of his own, something that would keep the warmth safe from _them_._

Bastion flinched away from the demon's attempt to soothe the wound, wary of the treament. Chazz let out a whimper, a sound so incredibly disheartening that Bastion felt bad. Hesitantly, much more so than previously, he enveloped the sleeping boy in his embrace.

_He was delighted to be back amid the warmth, but he still missed the softness of the light around him. He let out another whimper, tucking his wings a little closer to him and softly nuzzling the firmness before him, wanting to heal the wound he'd made but afraid of frightening away the other again._

Bastian softened when Chazz nuzzled him, curling him closer. "Shhh..." he whispered. "I'm here. It's okay."

_He was closer now. Was that permission to close the wound or was it simply an offered comfort? He let out a whine at the dilemma, squinching his eyes shut unconsciously as he battled the alternatives out in his mind. He couldn't bear to be left alone again…_

Bastion shivered at the sound of Chazz's whine. It sounded so pitiful, so sad. "Shhhh..." He cooed. "I've got you."

_Feeling a little bolder now that he had made up his mind, he turned his face up again and carefully ran his tongue over the wound he'd created, willing the gash to close up. At the taste of the crimson he'd spilled, however, he couldn't contain a growl as a spike of fear shot through him. His protector had… hurt him? He couldn't believe such a thing had happened, not involving his warmth, but his common sense told him it was true and he couldn't hold back a surge of betrayal that caused his wings to snap around him again protectively._

Bastion was surprised by Chazz's reaction. "Shhh... I'm not going to hurt you. Shhhhh..."

_White and black danced before his vision in a movement that had always scared him, always been the reason why he refused to sleep with someone one at night. He did not want them seeing him at his weakest, where he was being attack by things they could not see, that they always claimed they could not see, but how could they not see the hands roaming across his pale skin, his pristine wings turning black as the very tips were painted crimson with his own blood, and the pain that would stab into him like a knife and then proceed to rip him to shreds right down his centerline? No one ever saw, only him, and no one ever protect him, so why should he have ever dared to think otherwise? The only protection he'd ever had was distance, this flimsy excuse not to travel out to meet him at any other time than the night while he wasn't aware, and his own wings, the ones that were stained with shadows, tears, vermillion, and ivory…_

Bastion held the demon tighter as he seemed to become preoccupied, tucking the inky winged boy's face into his neck. "You're okay." He murmured, letting his breath ghost over the other's ear.

_Suddenly, everything was right again, and he was allowed to be closer to the warmth now, surrounded by its comforting presence. Oh, how could he have ever doubted his protector? He burrowed his face deeper into the pro-offered neck, shyly letting his wings back out and hoping that the light would come back and cradle him once more. He would not ask for it, he did not want to be left again, but oh gods how he wanted it back._

Bastion felt Chazz's wings come out more than he saw it, stroking the demon's hair soothingly. He met their pitch black with his own snowy white, nuzzling the other male's neck.

_He was safe now, forgiven now. Feeling himself about to slip off again, especially now that the petting had started again, he reached over and buried his fingers in the light once more, purring happily. He could afford to let himself go now that there was someone to keep _them_ away from him now._

Bastion, tired for being so attentive, stroked the demon's hair a bit before letting his head drop to the pillow and drift off into a soft sleep.

* * *

><p>Once he was certain both the males were asleep, the demon let go of his grip on the shadows, letting his corporeal body appear in the room once again. He shook out his wings, letting the moonlight from the uncurtained window plaster themselves on his midnight feathers, shorter than what he was used to but what he had grown accustomed to experiencing for the brief periods he would awaken once more. Jade-colored eyes looked at the odd pair of demon and angel, not begrudging them for needing his help. The two might have been soulmates, the demon far more broken than most, but they would never have broken taboo if he had not influenced the poor demon's dreams. He thought it a tragedy that the two could not have simply gotten together on their own, a fact that brought a lot of guilt to him. It was his fault they weren't together, after all, and speaking of which, he really should get back to his dorm room, before his precious mate began to worry about him. He did not want the angel to be worried that he had abandoned his "best friend", after all...<p>

* * *

><p>Cienna smiled sadly. "It's a kind of ridiculous story." She spoke quietly. "I even have trouble believing it sometimes... But I suppose the truth must be known..." She turned her back to him, spreading her wings and gently pushing his away with the tips of her own. "This is the easiest way to explain it, I guess. Zane, what color are my wings?"<p>

"That's easy," he replied confusedly, "they're..." He trailed off as the moonlight caught her wings, highlighting their color. "Gray?"

"Any ideas as to what that means?" She was quiet, trembling ever-so-slightly as if she was afraid to hear his response.

"Well," he murmured to himself, slowly thinking through the process, "demons have black wings and angels have white, so a blending of the two colors could be an expression of codominance from the two breeds, meaning you would be sired by both races, but that's impossible, there haven't been a relationship between a demon and an angel since Gabriel and Lucifer..."

She chuckled darkly. "You don't even know how right you are." She folded her wings against her back gently. She leaned against his side, taking in the comfort and warmth he offered. "I won't coddle you about this, Zane. It's a waste of time. My parents _are_ Gabriel and Lucifer. They sacrificed their corporeal bodies so I could be born." She sighed, not daring to look at his face as she took a pause for any interjection he may have posed.

Zane would have been upset if he hadn't been so relieved things were finally making sense. If she was half-angel, it explained so much about her, even things she didn't know. "I don't know how exactly that would have gone about, but you know what, I don't care. It feels nice to have Chazz finally proven right about something without it biting me in the ass in the result."

She looked up suddenly, surprise eclipsing her face. "That's it? No disbelief or surprise or... I don't know, yelling at me for bullshitting you? You just... believe me?"

He shrugged. "Before I came over here, Chazz told me that you had a scent to you that was almost too... holy for a demon," he explained. "I was thinking about it a lot, worrying that maybe someone had put a dormant exorcision spell on you, but now, well... Let's just say I'd rather accept that you're somehow the offspring of both demon and angel rather than that I was going to have to kill somebody because some dipshit thought it would be a good idea to fucking perform an exorcism on you."

She laughed in shock, "Wow. He's pretty good at that stuff... but then I knew that. Christ, what's wrong with me?" She stared out across the room for a moment. When her eyes returned to him, the worry was back. "So you're okay with this, then?"

He offered her a gentle smile. "Normally, I wouldn't be, but you're... special to me." He didn't want to confess the information he'd had to share with Chazz just to gain the knowledge about her, so he settled for merely leaving it at that if he could.

A grin slowly found its way to her face. A faint pink settled over her face and neck, but it paled in compared to the first time she'd seen him shirtless. "Well that makes two of us..." She twined her fingers through his, lifting their hands to place a gentle kiss to the back of Zane's hand.

He took advantage of that, twisting his hand around so that he cupped the back of her neck, and then used that to push her forward into his mouth, kissing her chastely. "Cienna," he breathed when he pulled away, his wings jerking back to allow her the escape if she wanted to. "I-"

"Yes?" She breathed, leaning her forehead against his.

He would have thought she'd be mad at him, especially since they had barely known each other and he was already stealing kisses from her, and yet she wasn't. "I really like you," he murmured softly, letting his wings come back around to gently hold her. He was tired, the stress had really been piling up today and the late hour was getting to him, so much so that he was fairly certain all she'd need to do was start petting his feathers and he'd fall asleep purring.

She smiled softly. "I figured as much." She set her hand on his chest, pushing him back to lie down. "You look tired. Anything else that needs to be said can wait until morning." She lay down beside him, pressing a kiss over his heart and resting a hand on his chest and beginning to trace idle patterns along his naked torso. "Goodnight, Zane."

"Goodnight, **kentouchigaino tenshi**," he murmured, wrapping his wings around her and reaching out to idly play with the tip of one of her slate feathers. "Pleasant dreams." He'd had Alexis do the same thing after sex before, along with Chazz after one of his more vicious sessions where he'd take the elder Truesdale's blood, but never had it felt quite so soothing. So, without her having even touched his wings, he drifted off to the domain of Morpheaus.

* * *

><p>Syrus yawned as he sat up in bed, flexing his snow-white wings happily in the moonlight. He understood he should be sleeping, but something hadn't seemed quite right, so he had decided to investigate. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he looked around himself, only to realize exactly what it was that was wrong. "Jaden?" he called, worried about the demon. He didn't want his friend to be missing, but it was clear that the brunet wasn't there in the dorm with him. "Jaden!" As the blue-haired boy was shrugging on his jacket to go look for the demon, in he stumbled. "Oh gods, there you are!" Syrus cried, running to his friend. "What were you doing out there? Are you okay?"<p>

"I wanted to go flying, Sy," the brunet chuckled, ruffling sky blue hair affectionately. "I haven't done it since I came here, so I decided it was high time I did."

"But-but your wings!" The younger spluttered. "We were going to try to keep them low profile! What if someone saw you!" Horror consumed his face. "They'll make you go to Obelisk!"

"It's all right, Sy," he reassured. "That's why I went at night, while everyone was sleeping." He gave the smaller a goofy grin. "Besides, even if they _did_ want me to go to Obelisk, I wouldn't go without a fight, and even then I wouldn't leave you behind."

Syrus smiled faintly. "Well alright then... let's just... get some sleep or something." He turned towards the bunk-beds, shrugging off his jacket along the way.

"Syrus," Jaden murmured softly, looking down at his hands shyly, "do you think demons have powers like angels do?"

"I think they can do things angels can't..." Syrus said slowly. "They definitely have... unique attributes."

Jaden's black wings pulled close to him, making him look smaller and more vulnerable. "Do you think that… maybe… manipulating people… could be one of them?"

"They said Lucifer could..." Syrus said slowly. "Why are you asking?"

He started trembling finely, no sound coming from the feathers that once would have made a good amount of noise now. "I never had any powers before, but then I had a dream where I put Chazz in a nightmare, and when I woke up, I was in the Obelisk dorm and I just knew I had to come back as fast as I could, and oh gods I'm just so scared, Sy, I'm so scared." He was breathing hard, having not bothering to inhale during that whole long statement, and his arms had come around his chest as if he was trying to hold himself together.

The younger angel crossed the room in a few steps, wrapping both his arms and wings around the brunet. "It's okay, Jaden. I promise it's okay."

He let out a soft whimper, burying his face in that mess of sky blue. "I don't want them to take you away, Sy, I don't want it!"

"I won't let them." The younger murmured, pulling the older closer. "I promise you'll be safe, Jaden. I'm not going anywhere."

"Not even if I do something very bad?"

"Not even if you do something awful."

Jaden gave him a shy smile. "I love you, Syrus."

"I love you too, Jaden." The small boy replied, smiling back. "Now c'mon, some sleep should help you."

"Sy?" the demon asked shyly, "can I sleep with you? I'm afraid I'll have that dream and start sleepwalking again…"

The angel didn't even pause. "Of course." He pulled Jaden's pillow off his bunk and lay it next to his. "C'mon. Let's get some sleep."

* * *

><p>Die: *sigh* Just move along to the next chapter...<p>

Banner: Reviews will be much appriciated! *pets Pharaoh and walks off*


	6. Chapter 6: Holy Lips

Die: *sigh* This story continues to evolve on me... and I'm still alone.

Bastion: Was there something you wanted to say on that, Die?

Die: Yeah. The pairings to this have updated, even if they don't show up until FAR later.

Jaden: What are they?

Die: I'll just go through all the ones showing up right now. *clears throat*

**Pairings for this story will include:**** JadenxSyrus, ChazzxBastionxChazz (meaning both will be seme at some point), ZanexOCxHell Kaiser, AsterxOCxAtticus, YusukexOC, JessexOC, JimxOMC, **and **HaouxJehu.**

Jaden: ... That's a lot of pairings.

Chazz: ... No one here owns Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: Holy Lips<p>

Zane awoke because he was feeling cold, his wings stretched across the bed beneath him. He yawned, pushing himself upright and half-expecting Chazz to be giving him some sort of sarcastic comment about not being able to wake up on time when he paused, something inside his brain telling him that that wasn't right, but why? His eyes blearily opened, bringing the realization that he was not in his room, and suddenly the events from the night before came rushing back to him. But in that event, where was... "Cienna?" he called, a hint of worry in his usually apathetic tone.

The girl in question looked up from the paper on her desk, a smile breaking across her face. "Morning, Zane."

He relaxed, walking over to her. "Morning, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**. May I ask what you're doing that was so important that you had to abandon me to freeze all on my lonesome?"

She laughed, picking up the paper and handing it to him. "You." On the paper was a sketch of a sleeping Zane, with his wings behind him on the bed. "Waddya think?"

"Very good," he praised, "but it's missing one thing."

"Oh?" She smiled with a laugh.

"Yes," he replied, smirking slightly, "but I'm not telling you what it is unless I get something in return."

She stood, leaning in close. "What do you want?"

His smirk widened. "I'm pretty sure you could make a guess on your own, **tenshi**."

She leaned in closer, her breath ghosting his lips. "Hmmm... I don't know. Why don't you just take it?"

"Gladly." He swooped in to take up with her lips, his wings wrapping around her back and pulling her closer.

She kissed him back with a passion, twining her fingers into his hair. After a moment, she pulled back to breathe. "Now what do you think I'm missing?"

"I'll give you one guess," he answered, tapping her nose with the tip of one finger.

She faked deep thought. "I don't know." There was a laugh on her face. "Just tell me."

"You," he answered, leaning in to steal another kiss from her. She smiled into the kiss, leaning her forehead against his when they pulled back for air. "Nah. It looks better without me." She played with a few strands of his hair. Her smile grew, her eyes far off like she was recalling something from a long time ago.

He wanted to disagree but figured she wouldn't listen anyway. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, noticing her apparent distraction.

Her gaze traveled up to meet his. "Just thinking of something Lucifer told me a long time ago..."

"What was it?" he asked, curious as to what she might be recalling about her father.

She giggled, "When I was about six, he told me that I'd fall in love with a demon." She gave him an exuberant smile. "But not just _any_ demon. No, I was going to fall in love with a demon who would love me for who I really was and all that gushy stuff. I was six, let me remind you, and I swore up and down he was bullshitting me. But Gabriel showed up in my dreams briefly to give me Lucifer's I-told-you-so." She laughed again.

He frowned. "I thought you said your parents gave up their corporeal bodies to give birth to you," he muttered, pouting a little at the contradicting information. Zane Truesdale did not like it when his intelligence was put into question.

"Their souls survived." She sighed, wings ruffling freely against her back." "I should probably go get dressed though. As much as I'd love to let them free, I can't risk letting anyone else see my wings." She pushed gently against his wings. "Unless there's anything else you want to talk about...?"

He shook his head, letting her out. "Just, if sometime over the next week, Chazz tells you not to go see me, listen to him." He did not yet seem to realize that he should likely go too, before he got in trouble for being in the wrong dorm _and_ lacking a proper change of clothes to boot, thus leaving him in the rather awkward position of having to deny that he had slept over at someone else's room.

She looked concerned, turning back into his arms. "Are you sure?" She set a hand against his bare chest, right over his heart.

He nodded, bring his own hand up to rest atop hers. "Yeah. Trust me, it's for your own safety, and look at it this way, most of the Obelisks will be gone over the next few weeks, including Chazz. It's just habit that he takes off after me, so he'll be able to warn you first."

Still concerned, she sighed, letting her wings slide under his and around the two of them. "If you're sure..."

"Trust me, I don't want to leave you any more than you seem to want me to, but I won't let you get hurt because of something stupid on my part."

She laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck and greedily breathing in his scent. "How long will you be gone?"

"At least three days but no more than five. If experience can give me anything to go by, after I'm out, Chazz will have two days before he goes down and will make up those days while I'm there and he isn't." He reached around to stroke her hair soothingly, content with their closeness.

She let out a short breath of frustration. "Even that seems too long. And I hate sounding like the clingy girlfriend but... three days is a long time." She cocked her head back into his touch, not ceasing her affectionate gesture even as she spoke.

"Trust me, you'll thank me for it later," he reassured her softly. A demon's heat was not something that was all too fun to be around, especially since he'd found out last year through Chazz that his tastes ran rather to the sadistic side of kinky pleasure…

She pressed her lips to his neck, soft, gentle before pulling back to look at his face. "You'll be okay when you come back, right?" She looked mildly embarrassed. "This whole situation is one that Dad intentionally left out of his demonology lessons... I never really wanted to know and, despite the fact that he's _the_ Lucifer... he's still my dad..." She flushed. "Point is... I don't know much about it. But you'll be okay?" She cut her rambling short with her own hand clamped over her mouth.

He smiled softly, finding it cute that she was so embarrassed but seemingly knowing what he was referring to. "I'll be fine, a demon's heat isn't too concerning provided I'm not around anyone I'd particularly want to mate with. I might have to have Chazz chain me up this year, sick bastard will probably get a kick out of that, but I'll be fine at the end of the week. I always am."

"Good." She said with a still embarrassed smile, though it slowly turned sly. "But what am I supposed to do at night when you're not here? It's no fun sleeping alone."

_Oh, she cannot be serious about wanting to be my mate… does she really understand that this is a lifetime commitment she's wanting to make, that her soul will be bound to mine for all eternity?_ He gave her a gentle smile in return. "Think of me. With any luck, my mind will be able to connect to yours and I won't feel so alone anymore."

She smiled back, noticing the off-track look in his eyes and set a hand on his face. "Is everything alright, Hun?"

"I'm just a little worried about you, **tenshi**," he murmured softly, leaning his cheek into her touch. "Promise me you'll stick close to Chazz while he's still around and then to those three angel friends of yours while he's not, okay? I'd be pissed off if something happened to you because I wasn't there to keep you safe."

"I don't have any problem with the angel thing but _Chazz_?" she groaned, resting her head against his chest with a grumpy frown. "I'll be at his throat the whole time! I'm more likely to get hurt with him than on my own!"

He laughed at that, unable to contain his amusement at how cute she looked. "I understand the Princeton is an asshole, **tenshi**, but he at least knows to control himself during this week. He may snap at you, yes, and verbally degrade you, but he will not strike you if he doesn't want his arm ripped off when I return to my senses. Besides, when I get out, I'll be doing the same thing for whichever male happens to catch his eye this time. It's part of our agreement for rooming with each other: love interests are fair game any time other than the times we go into heat, at which point they are to be protected until the time passes and we return to our normal selves."

Her frown didn't leave. "Is it a _requirement_?"

He smirked at her. "I never said you had to stay _only _with him, you know. You're welcome to take advantage of the free period and annoy the hell out of him for those two days."

She lightened some, leaning back so she could get a better look at him. "That's more tolerable, I suppose... But I'm still gonna complain like a bitch when you get back." A short laugh pealed from her throat, proof that she was joking.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**," he replied softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He really needed to get back to his room, before the others, aka Chazz, figured out he was missing.

She offered a gentle smile. "You should probably go... Before Chazz notices."

He nodded. "Until next time, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**."

"Yeah." She said quietly, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you in class." She pulled her wings in, gently pushing his wings away and moving towards the bathroom slowly.

He groaned, giving in to the subtle pleading she was doing. "Fine, if you can find me something to wear until we can get back to my room and steal some of my clothes back, I'll stay."

When she turned around, there was a rather cocky grin on her face. "I can do that." She walked over to her closet and started digging around. After a few moments, she stood and turned around, holding a My Chemical Romance concert-shirt that looked to be the right size. "Will this work?"

"It's not my style, but you seem determined not to let me out of your sight, so it will have to do."

Her smile shrank some. "Well if you want to go back, I'm not going to stop you..."

"Do you _want_ me to leave?" he asked pointedly.

"Well no... but if you need to, you need to." The t-shirt hung limp in her hand.

"Then I'm staying," he finished with a smirk. "Besides, once the week starts, who knows exactly when you'll see me again?"

She sighed, passing him the t-shirt and turning back to her closet. "You make it sound like you'll be gone forever."

"To me, I am," he explained. "Trust me, three days is a very long time when you can't get any sleep out of it."

Her back still to him, she nodded. "I'm glad that part of being a demon skipped over me." She fished through the closet for her uniform, muttering "Damn. I need to wash some clothes..."

He chuckled softly, amused by her demeanor. If he could figure out for certain if he wanted to properly court her or not, she would make a wonderful mate.

She found a clean uniform and turned back to him. "Sorry about that." She flung it at her bed and walked over to Zane. "I'm awful at keeping track of cleaning..."

"Don't apologize, **tenshi**," he replied, reaching out and stroking the tip of one silvery wing. "I find it rather endearing."

She laughed. "Well that's good, I guess." Her hands wrapped around his neck as her wings moved farther into his hand.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who enjoys having my feathers stroked," he mused, ruffling the wing gently in a way he knew from experience was actually quite pleasing.

She purred. "Mmm... no, you're not."

* * *

><p>Bastion was the first to wake up, and when he did, it was to the sight of black feathers. Surprised, he glanced downwards to see none other than Chazz Princeton wrapped up in his embrace, the demon curled up against him as though afraid he would leave. He bit his lip, debating. Chazz would be pissed if he woke up in this position, and because of his pride, he would fiercely fight the resulting closeness that should have come instead. He sighed, already disliking his decision but unwilling to lose the friendship he seemed to have gained from the other male. He shimmied himself around, tucking his white wings underneath the black feathers they rested atop and reversing their positions so that it was his face that was buried in Chazz's neck rather than the other way around. And he did it not a moment too soon for the demon stirred a moment later, his dark wings shifting as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, his brain not quite fully functioning yet. "Bastion?" he asked, "what are you doing here in my bed?"<p>

The angel blinked sleepily, as if he'd just woken up. "Wh-where am I?" He yawned.

"In my bed, Misawa, unless you've gone dumb in addition to blind." Looks like Chazz didn't take long to recover from his drowsiness.

Bastion's eyes widened. "What the hell? How'd I get here?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, angel." Chazz's tone demanded answers _now._

"Don't look at me, Princeton." The angel replied, moving away from the demon. "I'm just as confused as you are."

The demon happened to look over at the empty bed on the other side of the room and the metaphorical lightbulb appeared over his head. "Hey Misawa," he asked, "Cienna Oliver wouldn't happen to your roommate, now would she?"

"Yeah but..." he sighed. "I'm going to kill her."

The demon smiled dangerously, revealing his fangs. "In all truth, my eyes are on Zane for this, not her, though there is no doubt in my mind that she fully endorsed it."

Bastion sighed. "You look like you have a plan."

He shrugged. "Not so much a plan as much as it is knowing that I'll be able to get my revenge on him in a matter of days."

Bastion chose not to question him. "Right well... I probably ought to go get ready." He pushed himself off the bed, already missing the warmth from the demon. A pair of jet black wings shot out to stop him from moving any further. "Um, yes?" Bastion struggled to keep the blush from his cheeks.

Chazz frowned, his wings snapping back around behind him. He hadn't meant to do that, it had just… happened before he had thought about it. "Nothing."

"O...kay." He mumbled, moving a bit faster this time.

Chazz hid a growl in the back of his throat with a yawn, his wings stretching out behind him as he sat up, letting the sheet fall down to pool around his waist.

The angel struggled to keep his eyes ahead, but couldn't keep his control. He threw a glance over his shoulder. He couldn't help but stare for a moment before forcing his eyes back ahead.

"Hey," the demon noted, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "your wings are rather large for only being a half-angel."

"And?" Bastion tensed under the scrutiny.

_I like it. _"Nothing."

"Alright well... I'll be going then..."

_Don't leave, please. I like it when you're near me. _"Fine."

"See you in around." He said quietly, hand on the doorknob.

_Can't you see how much it's hurting me to let you go like this? You are my mate; I could feel our connection from the moment I saw first saw you, but I stopped being afraid of it yesterday. Are you really so eager to betray my trust? _"Of course."

He twisted the knob then paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Unless... you wanted me to... stay."

_I can't ask you to myself, weakness is something that is always taken advantage of. But, please, I want to trust you completely, to be able to let these walls down knowing you won't turn it back into my face like _they _did._ "The decision is yours, angel."

He sighed, looking down at the floor, afraid to betray his thoughts. And then he realized he had no pants on. Flush climbed high up his face. "Uh, do you... have some pants I could borrow?"

_I don't love you, angel. I can't give anyone my heart yet, not with my scars. But my attention… that I can give you. You are my plaything, if only because I don't know what else to make you that will appease this weak heart of mine. _"Yeah, you're welcome to take anything out of the drawers on your left, those are all mine."

The angel nodded. "Thanks." He grabbed a pair of dark jeans from the drawer and slid them on, moving towards the door again. "See you around, Princeton."

_I will not let you out of my web, my angel, but trust me, I will make you dark with your own desire. I have no time for my heart's weak feelings, but if it will not permit me anything else, I shall at least keep you trapped in the shadows of my wake. _"And you, Misawa."

Bastion left then, heading towards his dorm torn between over-thinking the events of the night before and killing Cienna.

Chazz licked his lips, tasting the holy scent of the angel on his tongue. He wanted to tear into Bastion now and lick up all that crimson lifeblood, a punishment for daring to leave him. Surely everyone knew how possessive a demon was? But no, the angel had left him, and now he wanted to go out there and drag the boy back to his bed, tying him there so that he could never leave again. Scowling at himself, he yanked on his uniform jacket more harshly than he needed to and stalked out of his room. After class today, Zane was going to be on the receiving end of one hell of a feeding…

* * *

><p>Fiddling with the last button on her top, Cienna opened the bathroom door. Her gaze landed on the clock with a sigh. "As much as I hate to say it, you might want to go soon. Bastion'll be here soon, pissed as a kicked wasp's nest."<p>

He nodded, flexing his wings as he got to his feet. "You want to come too? I'm sure Chazz wouldn't mind."

She snorted indignantly. "He hates me. I'd much rather take my chances with Bastion." A small sigh left her lips. "I just wish you could stay. And I don't just mean now..." With a half-hearted shrug, she stood on her toes, pressing her lips to his.

He instantly responded, hands coming up to cup her face before he came to his senses and wrenched away, panting. "I have to go," he ground out, looking entirely as if he didn't want to go, "otherwise I'll end up taking you right here on this bed, and believe me, I don't want that." _Not yet anyway._

Her cheeks flushed, she nodded, looking vaguely surprised. "Sure. Okay."

"It's not your fault," he explained, extracting himself from her embrace and pausing in the doorway. "Demons are just easily aroused right before they go into heat."

"Okay." She said, believing him but still rather caught off-guard. To her, it had merely been a kiss—that's not to say that she didn't feel _anything_, she had never had a better kiss in her life, she just wasn't as... caught up as he'd evidently been.

He groaned, really not wanting to explain the exact nuances of a demon's heat to her. "It's an instinctual response, **tenshi**. We demons can't just reproduce like angels can by simply wishing for it or by the will of the gods. We have to go at it like animals, and since so many angels are fond of massacring demons, we enter heat four times a year and are rather… sensual creatures before and during the experience."

She laughed, high flags of embarrassment lighting her cheeks. "That's okay, Zane. I don't really need details..."

He shrugged. "Hey, you might end up needing to know this information one day." His expression softened one last time. "Farewell, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**. I will see you later, in class."

She nodded. "Bye Zane."

Bastion came in as soon as Zane was gone, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Was that Zane Truesdale I just saw coming from our room?"

"So what if it was?" She grabbed her hairbrush off of her bed. "And where were you last night, anyway?"

"You know perfectly well where I was last night, and Zane Truesdale isn't- Hey, why the hell do you have gray wings?"

She turned back to him, eyes wide. "I... um... shit..."

The angel's large white wings twitched with annoyance. "Normally, I'd be perfectly willing to let you slide on an explanation, but right now, I couldn't care less about whether you want to tell me or not. So spill the beans. _Now_."

"You won't believe the truth." She hissed.

He pinned her to the wall, his normally-calm slate gray eyes burning. "Because of _you_, I just spent the night in bed with Chazz Princeton cuddling the poor demon and soothing him from some sort of horrible nightmare. I'd say my sanity went out the window last night."

She winced, the impact having slammed her wings against the wall. "I'm the daughter of a demon and an angel." She hissed. "Now get the fuck away from me. I'm sorry about last night but I'm pretty damn sure it doesn't warrant this."

He let go of her, his wings falling back to let her out. "It wasn't the night so much that disturbed me so much as it was… how he was. I've never seen him so… vulnerable before."

She moved to the other side of the room, sitting down on her bed and letting her wings out. She examined them, pulling out the few bent feathers before replying. "From what I've heard, he's been through some major trauma. A broken soul of sorts."

Bastion ran over the events one more time, unable to hold back from adding, "From what I've seen, he has major trust issues."

"Betrayed by someone he thought he could trust." She returned, looking up at him. "It'll take a while to break through that. Longer if you hurt him."

"I haven't hurt him!" he protested, then realized what she was implying. "And I don't like him like that, dammit!"

A small smile found its way to her face. "I was just warning you." She eyed his outfit. "And you may want to go change if you want breakfast. It'll be too late if we wait much longer."

He blushed, remembering who the jeans' true owner was. "All right." He paused, biting his lip. "I'm sorry about earlier. I just… lost my temper is all."

Her smile grew some. "It's all right." She gently closed her wings back against her back, wincing slightly. "I've had worse."

He winced with her, gathering up his uniform and heading towards the bathroom to change. "Sorry," he murmured again, gently shutting the door behind him.

She bit back a hiss of pain as she pulled her jacket on. But, as she'd said, she'd had worse. She grabbed a few ibuprophin and swallowed them dry. She grabbed her sketch of Zane off the desk, managing to put it in a drawer just as Bastion came out. She grinned at him. "Ready for some food? I'm starving."

He nodded. "That is," he teased, "if there's any left after Jaden's been through."

* * *

><p>Syrus pulled his jacket on. "C'mon, Jaden. We're gonna be late." He remained exceptionally gentle with the brunet after the previous night's ordeal.<p>

"But Syruuuuus, I don't wanna put my jacket on!" the taller whined, not wanting to hide his wings again. He hated how the cloth confined his appendages, well-used to being free and able to do whatever he wanted with them.

"I'm sorry, Jaden but you have to. If they see your wings, they'll take you away."

The demon scoffed. "I'd like to see them try," he growled, black feathers fluffing out at the prospect of a challenge.

"No." Syrus said gently. "Let's try to keep violence out of the equation as long as we can."

"Fine," he pouted. "Only because you asked me to, Sy."

"Thank you." The smaller boy said, grabbing the brunet's hand. "But seriously, we're gonna be late."

Jaden shrugged on his jacket, buttoning it up. "I don't quite understand why we're going to class," he muttered to himself. "I mean, I'm just going to sleep my way through it, so what's the point?"

"You can't stay here unless you go to class."

The demon sighed. "I guess I'm going then," he grumbled. "After all, I can't afford to leave you alone, now can I?"

Syrus paled at the thought. "No. You can't."

Jaden chuckled, pulling the smaller in close and nuzzling his hair. "Come on, now, I'm not going anywhere." A loud growling followed his words, causing him to amend his statement. "Except maybe to breakfast, I'm hungry."

"Let's go." Syrus laughed.

* * *

><p>Zane yawned tiredly as he strode into the room he shared with Chazz, barely managing to close the door behind him before the other demon was on top of him, pinning him to the wall alongside with his large black wings preventing any possible escape. "I'm hungry, Zane," the Princeton purred, his mouth nipping at junction of the Truesdale's neck and shoulder. "Let me drink a little?"<p>

Zane stiffened in surprise, swallowing hard. "Yeah. Sure." Chazz leaned in a little before a hand pushed him back slightly. "Let me take my shirt off first," he answered to the question in the other's gaze, pulling off his shirt and throwing it onto his bed. "It isn't mine."

"Now," the vampiric demon replied huskily, "where were we?"

"Mmm..." Zane hummed, surprisingly aroused by the whole situation. But then his heat was so close, anything could set him off. They both knew that.

Chazz could scent that arousal in the pheromones the other was giving off, and it was having an effect on him as well. "Do you want this to be a simple feeding?" he asked, trailing his tongue over the other's jugular vein, "or do you want a little _more_ out of it, Truesdale?"

"Nnnh." The other demon groaned, squirming, voice coming out as a short hiss. "More."

"As you wish," the smaller purred, nibbling his way down the other's torso. His hand snaked down, grabbing the other's crotch and causing a hiss in response.

"Pants off," Zane growled, not wanting his pants to be covered in his own mess.

"Of course," Chazz replied, harshly shoving the fabric down out of the way and nipping harshly at the expanse of skin presented to him. Zane winced at the pain, but he let the other's stroking distract him, the suckling on his neck arouse him. The moments seemed to drag on and on, but finally, at one particularly harsh suck that impaled fangs in his neck once more, he came with a small yelp and an arch into the hand holding him.

"That was… good… Chazz," he panted.

The vampire smirked, blood around his mouth, and brought his hand up to lap the cum on his palm. "I always am."

* * *

><p>Die: I know, some of this contradicts what was said earlier, but you know what, that problem's only going to get worse as the story progresses, so I'm going to make no effort to change it.<p>

Zane: ... On behalf of the two authoresses, I would like to thank everyone who's already reviewed and offer some drawings of Cienna's for those of you who do review now. Or at least, if she co-operates anyway.

Syrus: If not, we'll just steal some of Jaden's breakfast.

Jaden: *eyes go wide as he grabs food* MINE! *runs off*

Die: *smiles* Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Holy Prince

Die: I'm bored.

Chazz: Go bother someone who cares.

Die: ... *turns to Jaden* I'm bored.

Jaden: ... Let's go bother Chazz.

Die: Okay!

Chazz: *eye twitches as the two start annoying him* Neither of the two authors own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven: Holy Prince<p>

Cienna and Bastion entered the food hall a moment or so before Jaden and Syrus. The former two were perfectly content with their silence, and Syrus would have been, but Jaden was talking—not as much as usual, mind you, but still more than your average person. Cienna threw a rather content smile over her shoulder at them, in a much better mood than the day before. "Morning boys."

Jaden smiled at her, bouncing at the end of the grip he and Syrus shared through their clasped hands that served as a rather effective leash. "Morning? Why isn't it a good morning, huh? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

Her smile lasted—a rather rare occurrence that early in the morning—and she laughed. "Do I ever say 'good morning', Jaden?" Bastion, in contrast to Cienna's lasting calm, looked rather ready to strangle the hyper-active boy.

He cocked his head, thinking about it. "I think you did, once, when we were thirteen," he answered, looking gleeful for having remembered such a fact. "Besides, it's a good morning, about half of the Obelisk Blues aren't here to annoy us!"

"I'm surprised you remember that." She chuckled, nodding. "But it is a good morning."

"I'll say," Chazz said, leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression on his face. "Zane isn't here to ruin it."

A shadow fell across her face instantly, though she fought it down and forced a content expression onto her face. "I take it the next few days are Zane-free?"

"Yep," he answered casually. "But don't worry, I'll be here to take his place for the next two."

Syrus frowned. "Where _is_ my brother and why will you only be here for _two_ days when Cienna seems to think he'll be gone for longer?"

"It's nothing bad." Cienna said hurriedly. "And it's really none of our business."

"Besides, hobbit," the demon continued, lazily running a hand through one of his black wings to pull out a broken feather or two, "I'm pretty sure your brain would explode if you were to know _exactly _what he was doing this week."

Cienna's cheeks flushed a vibrant shade of red. "Yeah. You don't want to know. Trust me, Syrus."

"Okay," the blue-haired boy replied, turning to Jaden with a smile. "Shall we go get some food?"

The brunet's green eyes widened. "Food!" he replied eagerly, dragging the smaller Slipher behind him to the kitchen area, Bastion following at a slower pace.

Chazz smirked at her expression, glad he didn't have to wait so long to give her his reply about the whole situation. "Jealous, Oliver?" he asked, letting a single fang show from beneath his lips. "I'm the one, after all, who will be _with _him during this week."

She flinched—whether from the sight of the fangs or the meaning of his words, she wasn't sure herself. She made every attempt possible to keep her face straight. "No."

He leaned in closer. "Would it upset you to know that he's taken me?" he asked, the slight points of his fangs flashing as he spoke. "Would it upset you to know that it turns him on to watch me lap up his cum from where it's spread across my bare palm?"

She struggled for a straight face. "You're an ass, Princeton. So if you'd kindly get out of my way and allow me to join my friends, I'd really appreciate it."

He shrugged, moving aside but making it clear he would not be leaving her side until she was back on the grounds of her own dorm once more. "Demons are rather promiscuous creatures until they mate, Oliver. I was merely making certain you were aware of the fact before you proceeded any further into a relationship with one." From the way he held himself, it was clear that he had never had to do something like this before because the other demon had never shown more than a passing interest in someone as a prospective mate before, not other than Chazz himself, who knew he was more of a lover than a mate and had long since become both accustomed to and content with the position.

"Do you honestly feel the need to shadow me?" She glowered, ignoring his previous statements. "I'd really rather you didn't."

He shrugged again, unaffected of her critical mood. "I'd rather I didn't as well, but Zane requested it of me at some point between when he was letting me suck his blood off and when he was begging me to just suck _him_ off." _Besides, this way I get to be closer to the Nephilium without needing an excuse like swordplay… not that swordplay is ever an excuse. _He couldn't contain a light shiver at how the other male's body had felt against his own the other day. The hardness of those muscles was enough to make him, someone who was extremely comfortable with his bisexual nature and even openly admitting he preferred males to females, begin to desire the half-blood.

Her glower darkened, muttering to herself, "This is bullshit. I can take care of myself." But she grabbed a plate, piling it high with pancakes and drowning those in syrup. She had to stretch a bit for the bowl of fruit, noting with relative enjoyment that her shoulders weren't sore anymore. However, by the looks of it, the day was gonna be suckish. _Screw what I said to Jaden. Today sucks ass._ With a rather unhappy expression, she dragged herself over to the table and sat down next to Jaden, pulling a bag of Cheetos from her purse and dropping it on his plate. "Merry Christmas, Kid."

He made a face, pushing them away to fall back on his bacon again. Chazz didn't have anything in front of him, instead he sat there playing with an apple he'd snagged from the kitchen area and letting his black eyes warily scan the crowd of students, his midnight wings propping him up against the table in a feat of impressive strength and power from the slender appendages.

Cienna, though she knew the cause, still couldn't help but stare at the abandoned snack hopelessly. _This isn't even Jaden anymore. I've spent years giving him Cheetos..._ A sigh escaped her lips, a frown tugging them downward. She stared down at her pancakes for a moment, then pushed them away. "If anyone wants them, feel free. If not, they're going in the trash."

Syrus took them, picking lightly at the fluffy cakes before Jaden wolfed them down too. "You should eat," Bastion advised, finding it a hard task to rip his eyes away from Chazz's wings and the curve of his back. "You'll need your strength for today if you don't want to fall asleep in class like these two."

"Hey!" Jaden protested through a mouth of pancake. "I didn't fall asleep all yesterday!"

"Not hungry." She murmured. "Especially not for pancakes..."

Jaden paused in his eating, still with that same mouthful. "But you always eat pancakes for breakfast!" he replied, how the words came out without sounding muffled or warped remains a mystery to this day, though Bastion didn't comment about a possible answer as he had gone back to staring at the muscles in the demon's shoulders and wings.

"Yeah. I know. I'm just not hungry." She fished in her purse for a stick of gum, pulling one out with a semi-satisfied expression. "I'll be good with some gum."

"But-" Jaden began, only for Chazz to cut him off.

"Gods above, chew and swallow, _then_ speak," the demon growled irritably, feathers bristling with his annoyance.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the asshole's right. We're not seven, Jaden."

The brunet pouted, swallowing. "Why are you so mean to me, Cienna?" he whined, turning to Syrus and burying his face in the soft blue locks.

She groaned. "Jaden, we've been like this for years. Calm down."

"Don't wanna," he replied childishly, making no attempt to change his position.

_At least this is the same_. She rolled her eyes, fiddling with her piercings and chewing her gum with more force than before.

The demon's wings twitched at the movement, and he tossed the apple he was holding onto the table, obviously not planning on eating it.

"Not hungry?" The half-breed raised her eyebrows.

"Not exactly," he answered. "The cafeteria just doesn't cater to what I crave right now, so I'll just have to wait."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm going to have to thank God for that."

"Um, Cienna," Bastion murmured quietly, flushing, "I'm pretty sure Chazz was referring to his vampire side there." At the demon's glare, he explained, "I just noticed you usually take bloody meat with your meals when you eat, so I figured you like drinking blood."

The girl shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

Pharaoh slunk over then, placing a mouse at the demon's feet, to his disgust. "Get out of here, furball," the ebony-haired boy hissed, midnight eyes gleaming as he began to aim his foot towards the feline.

"Not necessary, Princeton." She knelt down and scooped the cat into her arms. "He's a sweet kitty. Reminds me of home." The words _NOT A KITTY!_ rang through her head. She forced down a laugh.

Chazz grabbed her around the wrist, dragging her away. "Come on," he growled. "You need to get to class now."

"Let _go_." She snarled, wrenching her wrist from his grip. "Fuck off."

His wings flared out. "I have to take care of you so that Zane will take care of mine," he growled, fangs lengthening in his mouth. "So just shut the fuck up and deal with it."

"I don't _need _you to take care of me. Just leave me the hell alone and I won't tell him."

"Doesn't matter if you tell him or not, he'll be able to scent it on me."

"Who the hell is '_mine_'?" Bastion asked, startling the infuriated pair.

"Not up to me to tell you." The girl said with a growl, glaring at the demon whose hand encircled her wrist as her stinger-tail jabbed at the air behind her. "I just want him the fuck away from me. I'll tell him I sent you away. I'll tell him whatever the hell it takes so he won't blame you, just get the hell _away _from me. You're a narcissistic asshole and I don't really want you around, honestly."

"What you don't understand is this, Oliver," he hissed, dark feathers still bristling with annoyance and agitation. "Even in his… current state, I still see him every day after class ends. I stay in the same room with him from when the bell rings for school to end until I wake up in the morning and go to breakfast. He will be able to scent you all over me, and if he doesn't, he'll likely break his chains and then go for me. It's only in the unlikely event he then makes it past the heightened security that he will see _you_."

She could barely contain her anger. "Then do me a favor. A) Keep your damn hands _off of me._ And B) Keep your snide marks to yourself. Act as if it's any other day and you can ignore my remarks as you wish. I'm fucking _tired _of hearing your voice and we haven't even gotten to class yet."

He smirked. "Very well," he answered, sweeping her a sarcastic bow. "I _was_ going to take you to visit him, but if that's how you want me to act…"

She paled. "I…never mind…" She sighed. "Please, feel free to be an ass."

"That's what I thought."

She glared at him. "…I hope you die in hell."

He shrugged, folding his dark wings against his back again. "Been there, done that. It wasn't worth it." He looked smaller, more vulnerable than usual, and if his wings hadn't been pressed against himself, they likely would have been trembling.

Bastion watched him carefully, unable to act because of the publicity of the situation. Cienna noticed but made no comment on it. "Whatever. Let's just go to class."

The demon nodded, falling in behind her, remaining rather more subdued than usual. Bastion walked beside Chazz, subtly brushing his hand along the demon's. The youngest Princeton perked up slightly, staring after him in shock as if to wonder what his motive was for offering him comfort. The angel kept walking, moving a few feet ahead of the unhappy, but stuck, pair. He waved behind him. "See you in class."

Chazz wanted to run after him and wrap his wings around him so that he couldn't escape, but he restrained himself, instead trailing after the other. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he'd be able to sit beside the other and question him about what he'd just done.

* * *

><p>She threw a look at Chazz. "How in hell is this going to work? Is he going to rape me if he breaks free? Are you sure this is even a good idea?"<p>

"Relax, would you? I'm going to go in first and sit on him, then you're going to come in through the window. And if I thought it was a bad idea, trust me, I wouldn't have offered because I would have ended up losing protection over mine as well."

She sighed, shifting uneasily from one foot to another. "Fine. Just don't get us caught."

He gave her a crooked smile. "I won't. Just wait until the window is open before you fly up, okay?"

She blinked worriedly. "Is the whole thing dependant on me flying?"

"Um, it's not as if they're just going to let you into the Obelisk dorm when so many demons are in heat right now, and _I'm _certainly not carrying you myself." He caught himself, smirking with the tip of one fang peeking out from his lips. "That is, unless I get something out of it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll figure something out, I guess…" _Dammit, I can't give him anything he wants but I can't let anyone see my wings either. Fuckdammit Fuckdammit Fuckdammit!_

"You'd better, I'm not going _near_ a demon in heat when _I'm _not in heat for nothing." With that, he spun on his heel and began to walk away.

With a sigh, she moved towards their dorm window, eyeing the wall curiously. _Oh this is going to be _easy_. Dad's given me enough lessons on scaling walls…_ Immediately, she started looking for possible foot-and-hand-holds, smiling as she found a pattern. _More than easy, _she decided, smirking at the wall victoriously as she made her way up.

"What took you so long, Oliver?" Chazz voiced lazily, his whole body splayed effortlessly across Zane's struggling one.

She glared at him. "I had to scale the wall." Her eyes fell to Zane, a small smile arriving on it. "Hi Zane."

"She isn't supposed to be here!" he growled, eyes burning and writhing harder against the vampire's. "The rules forbid it!"

"Since when has the Chazz listened to rules?" he replied, riding the bucking body with ease. "And I'd stop fighting, Truesdale, it's turning me on…"

Eyes only for Zane, she looked slightly hurt even though she understood his point. "If I need to go…"

He bit his lip, obviously debating whether or not he could control himself. Chazz, on the other hand, had no such doubts. "Oh stay, he'll enjoy it more, the prick."

She still looked uncertain. "I dunno… I don't want to make this harder for him than it has to be…"

"Suit yourself," the Princeton replied. "You do know that if you leave, I'm going to be grinding myself all over him while he's tied up." At Zane's furious glare, he added, "What? Do you really think I'm going to let such a golden opportunity pass, Truesdale?"

The girl's jaw clenched. "I think I'll stay…" She sat hesitantly on the floor under the windowsill, making it an easy escape route in case of emergency. "I um… don't really know what to say… since you're… tied up and… that kind of shit." A kind of lopsided nervous smile crossed her face.

He gave her a gentle smile, trying to ignore the burning lust inside him, not an easy task with Chazz constantly "fidgeting" on top of him. "Just talk," he answered. "It's a nice distraction."

She started on the first thing that came to mind. "Well, Parents' Day is coming up next week so you'll get to meet my family." She rolled her eyes. "That's going to be absolute _hell_ if my dads come. You might like Father… Dad and Daddy, not so much."

"What are they like?" Zane asked, honestly curious.

"Yuck, talking about _family,_" Chazz spat, getting up and sauntering towards the door. "I'm going to go find someone _else_ to hang with, so in the meantime, Oliver, for your own safety, don't get too close to him and don't breathe in whatever his wings push your way."

Cienna watched him leave with wide eyes, honestly a bit worried. But for once, she took his advice, in fact, tucking herself further into the corner. She returned to Zane's question. "Well, Father's the most functional in day-to-day society. He's the nicest and closest to a normal dad. Daddy's an ex-thief. Fun to hang out with when he's not on a homicidal rampage with Dad… which of course brings me _to _Dad. Homicidal maniac, and least socially functional most of the time… Every now and then, he's all right." She shrugged. "I have no clue how my sister and I survived…"

"Sounds like a fun place to be," he chuckled, slowly moving onto the floor a ways beside her, lying on one wing and spreading the other over towards her. "You can sit on it," he murmured, gesturing to his free wing. "It won't bother me." He had been craving for her fingers to card through his dark feathers, but he wouldn't ask for it straight-out so that he didn't scare her or force her into something she was uncomfortable doing.

Uncertainty clouded her face again, though she hesitantly moved towards him, resting on it as gently as she could. "I guess you could say that. But when your father is the Demon King… things are complicated."

"Your father is the Demon King?" he asked, surprised and trying to resist bucking his wing up against her pleadingly. "I thought the man didn't have any kids."

She shrugged. "He doesn't have any biologically. None of them do." Absently, she trailed her fingers down the exposed part of his wing. "But he has to keep his home life away from work… that way we aren't targets. That's the only reason Jaden hasn't met him."

He shuddered at the touch, leaning into her fingers. "Interesting."

* * *

><p>"Hey Misawa," Chazz announced, throwing himself bodily across the empty bed, which was obviously actually Bastion's since the blankets smelled so strongly of the angel.<p>

Bastion looked in the demon's direction, surprise on his face. He turned his gaze back to the equations he was writing on the newly blank expanse of wall above Cienna's bed. "Um, hi?"

The Princeton chuckled. "You know, you should really be more careful of who you're letting into your room. For all you could have known, I might have been in heat and you wouldn't have known until we were lying there in the aftermath curled around each other… or until I started begging you for another round."

Bastion, face flushed, turned from the equations and capped the marker. He tried to keep a calm persona. "You would have been acting differently today if you were _that_ close."

He shrugged. "I don't know… I've gone to business meetings and completed business as usual, then gone into heat a few hours later. Besides, the symptoms are only increased horniness, which isn't exactly broadcast to everyone."

The other male's flush deepened a bit. "Right. Well… anyway… Why are you here?"

"Your roommate went to go see mine, so I decided to come over here and stay with you for a while. It's nice to be able to stay in a room where the pheromones don't make me want to screw someone into the nearest stable surface."

Despite himself, that brought a question to mind. "Is it safe for her to be there?"

Chazz yawned, his wings drooping slightly. "Yeah, she's fine. Zane may be in heat, but his instincts to protect her are stronger than those are to rut with her."

The angel took that answer. "All right." He stared at the sleepy-eyed demon curiously. "Tired?"

He nodded. "Zane entered his heat late last night, and being there in the room with him always drives me up the wall. I've had enough experiences with him that his pheromones affect me more than they do anyone else."

"Sounds… fun."

Chazz just groaned. "Please, let me sleep. I haven't been able to since this whole thing began, and your room is too peaceful for me not to take advantage of it." His wings were already wrapped around him in the straight-jacket from before, his body balled up as much as it could in the situation.

"Sure. No problem." The angel decided it would be okay to stay on Cienna's side of the room for the time being. Until the half-breed returned and yelled at him for writing on her walls… _Maaaaybe I should join him… _So he closed the curtains and did so.

* * *

><p>Cienna's fingers had fallen into a regular pace of stroking the demon's wing, taking a moment of thought in the comfortable silence. "You're sure it's okay that I'm here?"<p>

Zane nodded, his eyes closed as he focused on her steady breathing rather than the forge inside him. "I can control myself."

A small smile found its way to her face. "Just let me know if I _do _need to." She murmured. "So… do you have any questions for me? About anything? Because I'm running out of ideas…"

"Not really," he replied. Holding onto his sanity when her skin was running through his sensitive feathers was a hard task, but he eagerly threw himself into it, wanting her to stay longer than he did rid himself of his unbearable heat.

A small sigh escaped her lips, seeing as she enjoyed the velvety texture of his feathers under her fingers almost as much as he seemed to love her petting them. "Mmm… I'm coming up short at this point." _God, I want to kiss him… but I can't…_

Zane pouted. "Why don't you tell me about your day then?" he asked, seriously needing _something _to divide his attention from his condition.

She smiled. "Chazz pissed me off. To the point of me begging him to leave me alone… but he wouldn't. Something about you not doing the same thing for Bastion."

He tensed underneath her. "He angered you, **tenshi**?" he growled, already planning his horrible vengeance.

Immediately, she made her petting more intentional. "Calm down, love. It's all right. I promise, it's all right." _I really want to kiss you. I really want to… no. No. _Don't_ go there. I need to get away… but I have to talk Zane out of his anger first. _

"He agreed that you were to not to be annoyed this week," he ground out, his wing stiff under her hand. "I am going to kill him for that…"

She shook her head, defending the boy for some reason even she couldn't understand. "Zane, love, it's all right. I swear I'm fine." She ran a gentle hand through his hair, attempting to soothe him. "Really, I swear I'm fine." _Leave it at that. Calm him down and leave. Right. That's the plan. That's okay. _

He opened his eyes in surprise at the touch, thinking she never would have gotten that close to him. "Cienna…"

"Calm down." She said softly, fighting down the emotions that came with the situation. And the pheromones. _God dammit he's sexy. I have to go soon or I'll be _willing _for him to screw me into a wall. _Some of her internal struggle surfaced to her face.

He caught that struggle and yanked himself away, back to his bed. "Go," he instructed. "I'll leave him be since you asked me to, **tenshi**."

She struggled towards the window, body now fighting her mind, every instinct telling her throw herself at him and kiss him as hard as she could. Despite all this, she managed a small smile. "Thanks, love. And I'll see you when all this shit is over." With that, she forced herself over the windowsill and scaled down the wall.

* * *

><p>Chazz squirmed about in bed, his wingtips jerking out to hit Bastion on his chest in his desperate attempt to hide from something only he could sense. The male jerked away in surprise for a moment, recognizing the symptoms from the previous week. He pulled the demon closer. "Shh. It's all right."<p>

Black wings shot out to enclose him too in their embrace, their owner clinging as close to him as possible, almost as if he was hoping to hide himself inside the tanned flesh. The angel was less surprised than the first time, more aware of how to deal with this. He pet the jet-black hair soothingly, murmuring assurances. After a long moment, reluctant purring came from within his arms, followed by a relaxing of the body he held close. Bastion couldn't keep the smile from his face. "Shh, that's right. It's okay." He continued to stroke the dark hair, content.

And then the door opened to reveal a rather content Cienna. Her eyes instantly turned incredulous. "_Whoa_." She grinned. "It's about damn _time_."

"Don't say a word to him about it," he threatened, white wings coming around to gently hide part of the other in their pristine embrace.

She rolled her eyes and moved towards her bed. "I won't. I don't _like _the guy, but I'm not cruel. Pretentious assholes aren't on my list of people to completely humiliate." As her eyes landed on the wall, they widened. "What the _hell _did you do to my wall and where the _fuck _are my posters? I swear to God, if you did something to them you'll fucking regret it."

"I didn't do anything to them," he reassured her, refocusing his attention on the boy in his arms. "They're in your closet." Hiding a yawn with his hand, he put his head down on his pillow and fell asleep.

Cienna fell asleep around ten, dreaming of Zane. And… things. And then… she wasn't. _"What the _hell_, Dad?" She groaned, looking around a set-up like the house she grew up in._

"_Wrong father." Gabriel said with a comfortable laugh. "He won't be here for a while."_

_She rolled her eyes. "So what's the point?"_

"_Just a drop-by." Gabriel smiled._

"_Regarding what?" She moved towards a chair in the far corner, the one that was usually inhabited by Yami. _

"_Your boyfriend. And his origins." Gabriel shifted uncomfortably._

_She paled. "You joke. Please tell me you joke. I got this talk from Yami _years _ago." _

"_Yeah, but can you blame us for wanting to do it right, sweetie? After all, Yami was just in love with two perverts, he's never had the chance to actually have a _decent _boyfriend…"_

_The girl turned towards the new voice. "Hi Lucifer…." She sighed. "And Yami's not that bad. I love Father, Daddy, and Dad… in their own special way. They're actually decent fathers, you know. Besides, Zane's not going to try anything unless I'm okay with it anyway." _

_He growled, his dark wings flapping outwards. "We are having this conversation, young lady, and that's final!"_

"_What the hell, Lucifer! Why now? Why not when I was like, 12 and would have been perfectly fine with this conversation? Why when I have a boyfriend and can EFFing visualize everything you EFFing say?"_

"_You didn't have a boyfriend back then!"_

"_Yeah I _know_! THAT'S THE DAMN PROBLEM! I DON'T NEED YOU NARATING A FUCKING PORNO IN MY HEAD!" _

"_THAT'S IT, YOU'RE DEAD!" Lucifer yelled, diving across the table with the intent of strangling his daughter. _

_Gabriel launched himself in-between them. "That. Is. IT! Both of you, APOLOGIZE!" _

"_Hell no!" Cienna snapped._

"_Are you out of you fucking mind?" The demon snapped. "I WASN'T THE ONE WHO DID ANYTHING!"_

"_Bullshit." The angel said. "You both pushed buttons. Now both of you, apologize." _

_Cienna caved first. "If I apologize, will you end this nightmare?" At the angel's grateful nod, she murmured. "Sorry Dad…"_

"_I'm not saying anything," the demon growled, then softened slightly at Gabriel's glare. "Will I get sex out of it if I apologize?"_

"_Maybe." The blond replied with a slightly less powerful glower. _

"_Then I'm sorry too."_

"_Yeah. See you tomorrow or something…" Cienna muttered, throwing a look at Gabriel. The angel waved the illusion of the house away and Cienna fell back into her dreams while her fathers were… well let's just say otherwise occupied…_

* * *

><p>Die: ... Nope, still bored.<p>

Jaden: Me too.

Chazz: *has sought refuge in Bastion's room, which has a Jaden-proof lock*

Zane: ... Please review so that she'll stop annoying us.

Syrus: ... We'll give you Bastion feathers...

Die: OHMIRA, THE TRUESDALE BROTHERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! *abandons Jaden to build a bomb shelter*

Jaden: ... *has fallen asleep on Syrus's head*

Syrus: WHY THE HELL DOES HE KEEP ON DOING THAT?

Zane: ... *walks off*


	8. Chapter 8: Holy Acceptance

Die: OH MY RA!

Jaden: I know, right?

Syrus: What are you two looking at?

Jaden: Die's Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga volume 7.

Chazz: What happened to 1-6?

Die: Oh, they didn't have them. I just wanted to get it. Besides, they had Zane, Jesse, Aster, and Atticus in it too!

Chazz: ...

Syrus: ...

Jaden: Neither of the two authors who write this story own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Eight: Holy Acceptance<p>

Chazz was the first to wake up, and when he did, he froze at the scent of holiness in the room. He felt safe in the arms surrounding him, the smooth expanse of neck he already instinctively knew he could label as Bastion's stretching across his sight until he pulled away and looked around. Zane's Cienna was back, which could only mean he didn't rape her. Not wanting her to see him curled up against the other like some kind of weakling, he extracted himself painstakingly from the angel's embrace and crept towards the door, his wings spread as if to support more of his weight against the air to make him lighter somehow.

Bastion sat up, blinking his eyes blearily. "Going somewhere?" He asked quietly, noting his roommate stretched across her bed.

He froze guiltily. "What's it to you?" he hissed in an undertone, refusing to turn around, his wings stiff and shoulders set. "I would think it would please you to know you weren't going to get caught in bed with a demon."

Bastion shrugged. "It was just a question, Princeton."

"And so was mine, Misawa."

He threw a look at the girl on the bed across the room, making sure she was asleep. "Who says I want you to leave?"

That caught the demon's attention, making his head whip around in shock. "You… don't want me to leave?" he parroted incredulously.

The angel shrugged. "It's all right if you stay." He paused. "I... I'd really rather you did."

"Why?"

He flushed. "W-What does that matter?"

"I'm the asshole whose nearly killed you three times. Why the fucking hell would want me to be around you any longer than I force my presence upon you?" Every line of his body was tense, waiting for an answer.

"I... umm..." He flushed. "Well you're... I feel this kind of... I sound like an idiot." He sighed.

"Let me guess. No matter what goes on or what I do to you, you feel a strange magnetic pull to me that simply won't abate and compels you to want to protect me." He stated all that in the same kind of tone he would have used when making a note of the weather outside.

"Well... yeah." Bastion said, in slight awe.

His arms came up to wrap around his chest as his wings folded themselves snuggly against his back. "Just let me go then," he said. "Your instincts are lying to you." And yet, despite his words, he made no attempt to move from his position.

"I don't want to." Bastion replied, moving off the bed and towards the demon. "I want you to stay."

"Would you if I told you I felt the same way? Would you still want me to even if I felt the exact same fucking way the instant I first saw you back at the testing arena?" The very joint of his wing trembled slightly, though his wings remained silent in spite of the extremely slight movement.

"Why wouldn't I?" He moved closer, slow, cautious.

"I could kill you right now if I wanted to. I could wheel around and end your life before you could even notice, let alone think about stopping me."

"You could." He agreed. "But I don't think you want to."

"What do you know about me?" Chazz growled out, feathers bristling.

"Not much," he admitted. "But I know enough to be certain that you don't take any pleasure in killing anyone, even me." The silence hung between them for a long moment, pregnant with the tension before the dark wings relaxed, falling from their sheaths and out the back of the black shirt they hid inside of. Bastion's voice was soft. "Still leaving?"

He shook his head, instead sitting himself down on the bed. "If I can just borrow a change of clothes, I think I'll let Zane stew in his hormones for a while."

Bastion pointed to the dresser across from his bed. "Everything in there's mine." Chazz nodded, leaning back. It wasn't that he didn't want to pick out his own clothes, he did, but he didn't want to abuse the angel's hospitality by taking something the other planned on wearing himself. Bastion couldn't help but smile gently. "So what does all this mean, exactly?"

"I don't know," Chazz replied. "It means whatever the hell you want it to mean… or not, alternatively." The angel fell silent, delving into thoughts of the varying options. "I guess if you think about it," he grouched, catching the other's attention, "it means that I like you, okay?"

He smiled at the Princeton. "I like you too."

"Just don't make me regret it, Misawa," he uttered, eyes narrowed even if they were focused on the pale fingers playing with the edge of a single black feather he'd yanked from one of his wings, the appendages in question instinctively moving a little closer to himself as if to subconsciously protect him from something.

"I don't plan on it." Bastion replied, moving a bit closer to the demon. Chazz didn't bother to reply, instead jerking out another feather from his other wing and tracing the edge lightly with a single finger. The angel was bold, wrapping his arms around Chazz in a hesitant embrace.

At first the demon didn't react, standing there stiffly before he realized what was happening. Tentatively, his arms came out and snuck their way around the other male's lower back. _This… is what I've been wanting all along… somewhere I can be that I will always be safe at… but why is it that I feel so safe with _this?

Bastion grinned, settling his chin on the other's shoulder. "Is this all right?"

"Be quiet," the demon hissed quietly. "You're ruining the moment."

Though surprised, the angel nodded silently.

_This… this is the first time anyone's ever held me just because they wanted to… To you, this is simply showing some affection, but to me… this is so much more. You have no idea how much more it is to me… _Slowly, encumbered with a clumsy hesitance that they had not known in a long time, dark wings ventured out from behind him and around the both of them in a larger version of the embrace they shared.

Bastion's smile grew at the sign of acceptance, his own wings sliding around them underneath the black. At the surrounding of white, the demon relaxed completely, leaning slightly into the other male's chest as his strength began to wane. He had fought for so long and so hard that now he just wanted to rest, and this felt like a safe place to do so, safer than even Zane's strong embrace with his soft, muscled wings around them both. The angel stroked his hair, pulling the relaxed demon closer.

It was that action that broke the floodgate in Chazz's mind. He wrenched himself out of the other's arms, not wanting his growing tears to be known where they glistened in his obsidian eyes, for he was not allowed to show weakness, it only led to pain and suffering. If he hadn't given his word that he would stay, he would have fled his surroundings, gone back to Zane and sought comfort in the other demon's heated embrace.

Bastion was immediately caught off guard. "Chazz?" He whispered gently. "What did I do?"

The demon shook his head, refusing to turn around, his wings pulling in close to him. _It's not your fault, it's mine. It is not _your _fault that I am weak._

He moved closer but didn't touch the conflicted male. "Chazz? I'm not going to hurt you."

Dark wings hunched in closer as the demon flinched. _That's the same thing _they _told me, the same lie _they_ uttered with their smiles and their grins… _They _were the ones who told me I was weak, that I would never amount to anything because I gave in to the needs of others…_

_Okay, wrong thing to say_. "I don't want to do something wrong here, Chazz. I don't know how to do things differently if I don't know what I did wrong in the first place."

_It was… unintentional? _He wheeled around, eyes wide and pleading, the black reeling with his thoughts almost clearly spelled out in them. _You did not mean to make me weak, to let _them _in?_

"Okay." He said quietly, wings fluttering against his back, anxiety evident. "Do I need to do anything differently?"

'_**So long as you aren't in control, you are weak. Now come, brother, let us show you the price for being weak.'**_ At the words ringing in his head, Chazz flew into Bastion's arms, trembling hard and searching for comfort. His hands fisted into the other's shirt, dark wings flapping agitatedly as they altered between trying to buffet an enemy that was not there and shielding the pair in their embrace.

Bastion pulled the shuddering demon closer. "Shhh." He whispered soothingly. "It's all right. It won't hurt you. I'll keep it away." He was completely guessing, but he had to try.

Chazz relaxed into the embrace again, though he couldn't help scowling at his actions. He was supposed to be the dominate in a relationship, dammit, and with his little display, he had little chance of regaining his position now. "Come on," he said, "we should probably get to breakfast before Yuki eats all the food."

He smiled slowly. "All right." He gestured to his dresser. "Go find something to wear." Across the room, the sleeping form that was Cienna stirred, slowly shifting to her back, rubbing her eyes.

Wings hunched defensively in expectation of a snide remark from the girl, Chazz grabbed a pair of the black uniform pants and a black undershirt with holes in it for his wings, turning his back on them both with a prickling of feathers as he threw the clothes on Bastion's bed.

She sat up, yawning. She threw a look around the room, unsurprised to see Chazz still there. "Morning Bastion. Morning Princeton." She said it simply, as if she was neither shocked nor bothered by the presence of the demon.

The dark-haired male tensed again, disliking the reminder of having an "enemy" at his back even if his movements as he took off his shirt didn't betray his unease any further than a slight shaking of his spidery, pale fingers.

Pushing herself off the bed, she stretched her wings, momentarily forgetting the male who didn't know her secret. Suddenly, Bastion noticed something. Chazz didn't have any reason to be frightened, yet he was shaking like he was back when he had those nightmares. A flash of the male whirling on him with the sword flashed through his mind, and it brought a hypothesis to the forefront of his mind. The demon seemed not to like putting his back to people, which explained why he would always sit so high up in the classroom. Trying to pass it off as shielding Cienna's wings from Chazz's sight, he let his white wings fall between the two, subtly brushing the feathers against the other's back so that he would know who it was behind him. True to his expectations, the demon relaxed some, his hands steadying as he finished changing his clothes out for the ones he borrowed from the angel. Cienna immediately realized her mistake, snapping her wings in close to her back. She moved towards her dresser to begin digging out her clothes.

"Thank you, Bastion," Chazz murmured in a soft undertone, his inky black wings nudging the ivory ones in acknowledgement of the gesture as he moved towards the door. He raised his voice now, obviously intending for Cienna to overhear him. "If you give me five minutes, I'll go grab my jacket and have breakfast with you and Miss Oliver."

The girl looked at Bastion and shrugged. "I have to get dressed anyway so it sounds good to me."

"I'll save you a seat," the angel added, watching as the other walked away. He would have followed too, except that the teachers had stressed that no one visit the Obelisk dorm this week.

* * *

><p>Jaden dug into his food happily, even leaning over to steal some from Syrus when he wasn't looking, which most of the time he wasn't since he was a little worried about the others. He and Jaden were <em>never <em>the first ones to breakfast, and yet their table had been empty by the time he'd finally managed to drag the protesting brunet out of their room.

Cienna walked in, throwing a look over her shoulder at Bastion, who trailed behind looking for Chazz. She noticed Syrus and smiled, waving as she grabbed her pancakes. "Morning boys."

Syrus smiled at her in relief. "Morning." Jaden just nodded, still eating his eggs with all the ferocity and table manners of an animal.

"Good morning, beautiful," a suave voice purred, the owner being a brunet Obelisk with gleaming black wings and a playful smile. "And how are you today?"

She turned, eyeing the male. "Who are you?"

He swept her a bow. "My name is Atticus Rhodes, and I must say, you look _ravishing _today. Five stars for you."

"Thank you." She offered a small grin.

He reached out, intending to cup her cheek since there was no one to stand in his way, but he was blocked by a pair of black wings and a furious glower. "Hey there Chazzy!" the brunet purred. "I thought you'd be in playing with Zaney."

The demon growled, his dark feathers bristling. "Get out of here, Atticus, before I rip your wings off and shove them up your ass."

Cienna held back a glower of her own at his statement. She shifted closer to Jaden, who she sat next to. "Is there anything in particular you want, Atticus?"

A flurry of Chazz's feathers blocked both her and Bastion from view. "Don't encourage him, Oliver," he growled. "The asshole's in heat."

Atticus pouted. "You're so mean, Chazzy," he whined. "I would take away seven stars from you except that you smell so… enticing. Tell me, are you a natural submissive?"

Obsidian eyes narrowed in anger. "I told you to get back to the dorms, Rhodes," he spat acidly.

The brunet smiled flirtatiously. "Only if you come with me, Chazzy."

Cienna was pointed. "Atticus, you're in heat. And you're being rather stupid at the moment. If you'd rather be escorted by teachers, that's fine, but if you don't want me to call the teachers over to make you go to your dorm, I'd suggest you do it on your own."

The brunet demon laughed. "I just love how you dodged the question there, Chazzy. Two stars for you. Wait, make that thirteen, you look like you'd make a good fuck."

Chazz's wings trembled, but he did not lash out. "Leave now, or I swear to gods, Atticus, I'll tell Zane."

That brought a pause. "You wouldn't dare."

A fanged smirk. "Try me."

Cienna looked at Chazz. "What would Zane do?"

Bastion leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Zane is the head of the Obelisk dorm. As such, he's allowed to discipline other demons as he sees fit, and he's been known to give rather cruel punishments to those who antagonize his roommate."

"What's it to you that I take an interest in _her_, Chazzy?" the elder demon asked.

The pale boy didn't debate like he would have in most situations, smoothly stating, "My mate is at this table and I'd rather they didn't have to see a horny demon in heat until the day comes that they witness my own."

Cienna fought down a grin, fighting down the urge to shoot Bastion a look. "Ah. Gotcha." She looked at Atticus. "Seriously, though, Atticus. I will get the teachers to escort you away if necessary."

"A subordinate with a female… interesting," the brunet mused, folding his wings back. "I guess that information is enough to exchange for going back. Farewell then, Chazzy, I'll see you in bed with Zaney!"

Chazz merely glared at him, following him with obsidian eyes until the doors closed, and even then he still stood there protectively, black wings spread. Cienna turned to her pancakes, throwing a grin at Bastion. "Chazz, you can calm down now. The asshole's gone." The demon nodded in acknowledgement but made no indication of moving from his position. She paused her eating. "You should eat something. I'd offer you my pancakes if I thought you'd actually eat them."

"Not hungry," he growled, almost daring someone to comment over what Atticus had scented and guessed correctly.

"Suit yourself." She dug into her pancakes, eating with surprising vigor.

Bastion moved, silently pulling the bristling demon down onto the bench beside him and pushing a hidden pile of bloody sausages over towards him. "Here. You haven't eaten in at least two days. Get some food into you so that you can give a proper exit to those assholes."

Cienna grinned at her pancakes, unable to help herself. _Gabriel and Lucifer were riiiiight! Yes_!

* * *

><p>When they got to the classroom, Chazz sent a longing look up to his usual perch. He knew that he should likely sit down with the others today, but he did not want to be so low with his back to so many.<p>

Cienna took note of his discomfort, snagging Jaden's arm. "Why don't we sit higher today?"

"Mkay!" the brunet chirped, happily clinging to Syrus's arm.

Cienna grinned, shaking her head and throwing a look at Chazz and Bastion. "Well? Move your asses."

"I'll let you sit down first," the demon replied, settling himself against the wall behind him.

She rolled her eyes, pushing Jaden first, then Syrus, plopping down beside the sky-headed boy. "Your turn, boys."

Bastion sat himself down in the seat on the other side of Chazz's normal spot, having already noticed Cienna had taken Zane's chair. "Come on, Chazz," he called. "There's still one chair left for you."

"I don't know how in the world Chazz and Zane see this far back!" Jaden chirped. "After all, most demons sit in the far back, but come on, this is the fucking back row of the class! _No one _sits back here."

Chazz tensed at that, his wing feathers spreading slightly.

Cienna slapped him on the back of the head. "Jaden, don't be an ass."

"I'm not!" he protested, clutching the spot and hiding behind Syrus. "I'm just stating an observation."

"It's fine, Oliver," the demon stated when she pulled back to hit the brunet again. "I don't care what he says, really. He _is _right, after all."

Cienna sighed. "He's still being an ass."

"So am I, Oliver, and you don't hit _me _upside the head." He pulled his wings back, folding them so that he could lazily groom through the dark feathers since he didn't get a chance to shower that morning.

"Are you telling me to?" She raised her eyebrows.

"If you do, you're getting your arms ripped off and shoved up your ass." He grimaced at a clump of feathers that had something sticky in them, lodged there so that he'd need to either spend easily an hour getting it out or simply rip them out. His hand fisted in the shafts, readying to yank out the poor handsome feathers merely to save himself a little time and effort.

She laughed. "Zane would kill you. And I totally saved your ass from him yesterday, anyway."

He glared at her dangerously, the snap of his head accompanied by the pull on the feathers that ended up being too hard and causing blood to spurt from the area where he'd taken out the clump of feathers.

She sighed. "Don't know why that pissed you off so bad, but I'm sorry."

"I am perfectly able to take care of myself, thank you." He leaned down, trying to connect his mouth to the gushing wound only to discover it was rather like an elbow—impossible to reach but only just, so it makes you try to stick out your tongue just a little further to try to lick it.

The girl stifled a giggle at the sight, straightening her face at the look she received from Bastion. "I'm sure you are. I'm not trying to imply you can't."

The angel sighed. "Come here, Chazz," he murmured, gently pushing the demon from the wound in order to kiss it better like he had the one back when they were swordfighting the week before.

"Thank you," the Obelisk murmured in an undertone, gently plucking a single feather from the mass that was perfect, no doubt one he hadn't meant to pull out. "For you," he explained softly. "A demon's feather carries a meaning of possession, and by holding it, you should easily be able to put off any demons that hope to get you like Atticus did this morning."

Bastion took the feather with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Cienna's eyes widened some as she heard the information, mind trailing to the feather in her desk drawer. Zane's feather. She felt a warmth wash over her as she set about making plans for how to wear it. She doodled out ideas on the side of her notes.

Chazz blushed, averting his gaze and looking as if he was willing the pink away from his cheeks. "Is something wrong?" the angel asked worriedly.

"No," he answered, ducking his head behind his black wings. "It's just that, usually, giving feathers is something reserved for mates or extremely close lovers. I've never done it before myself."

Bastion smiled softly. "I'm honored."

* * *

><p>"Hey Zane?" Chazz asked, closing the door to his dorm and hanging his blue jacket up on hooks fastened to the back of it, "did you ever give Oliver one of your feathers?"<p>

Glad for the distraction, he nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"I was talking to Bastion about the significance of demon feathers today, and she reacted strangely to it." His wings stretched out as he threw his shirt into the hamper, enjoying the lack of clothing brushing up against the tender spot where new feathers were sprouting.

That certainly dragged his attention from the fiery desire he was fighting. "Strange how?"

"I smelled shock, then she flushed, then she started doodling for the entire time she was in class." He was glad the other demon hadn't picked up on him using the angel's first name, something he had done before he'd even thought about it.

_What the hell does that mean?_ The demon thought, a small scowl making him look cross. "I wonder what she's thinking..."

"Hell if I know," Chazz growled in reply, shimmying his pants off as well. "I don't pretend to know how the female mind works, I just know that I like the same thing the straight ones do." Zane sighed, resigning himself to figure out what Cienna could possibly be thinking. The other demon sighed, still feeling hot. "Look at it this way, Truesdale: knowing Oliver, she'll likely be in here before the night's out to ask you exactly why you gave her the damn feather, so you'll be able to figure it out then."

Zane looked over at the other demon. "You're probably right." Chazz nodded, flapping his wings to try to create a draft for himself to cool down. "Starting soon, Princeton?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Zane rolled his eyes. "What do you think I'm talking about?" Desire bubbled high in his stomach, threatening to encompass him.

"Oh, right." He shrugged. "I don't know if I am or not. Usually my symptoms are just arousal, and simply being in the room with you gives me that with your pheromones." Zane nodded, losing the fight to his heat at the mention of arousal. He groaned. "Judging by that moan, I'm saying that I must be putting out pheromones too."

Zane nodded, "Yeah. I'd say so."

Chazz struggled to keep his mind off of the expanse of skin he could gleam of Zane's bare chest. "You know, I gave away a feather myself today."

"Oh?" Zane forced his gaze to the wall. "To the half-angel?"

"Yeah. I yanked it out hard enough to make me bleed, and he healed me again. I gave him it as my thanks and explained what it meant." The explanation came up in his mind, and he groaned, one hand falling down to his crotch at the image of he and Bastion tangled up together in a mess of sweaty limbs.

Zane groaned in reply. "_Stop_ making that noise, would you." He growled.

"I can't help it," he growled in reply. "It's my equivalent of picturing Cienna naked and having sex with you." The image of Bastion before him, tanned skin gleaming with his hands moving over his own cock got him feeling even more bothered.

Zane groaned even louder. "Thanks for that image. I hadn't actually thought about that in about a half an hour..."

"What _have_ you been thinking about then?" he asked, gritting his teeth as he ripped his hand away and fisted it in his feathers.

"Trying _not_ to think about that." He hissed back. "Not going so well..."

"It _is _the way a demon's heat is structured, Truesdale," Chazz pointed out. "You _are _going to think about sex, especially with someone you already lust after."

"Would you shut up?" Zane groaned.

"Make me, Truesdale." Even in heat, Chazz's attitude and sharp tongue did not leave him destitute.

Zane shook his head, rolling over with a groan. "Asshole."

"Don't you know it." Inwardly, he cursed as the word brought to mind Bastion turning around and letting him fuck the angel for a change.

"We'll both be better off if one of us leaves." Zane said after a moment.. "And it obviously can't be me."

Chazz pouted. "But Zane… it's hard spending heat alone when you're a submissive!" he protested.

"I never said you had to spend it alone." He replied with a small sigh.

"You sort of did because I sure as hell am _not _letting any of the males here know I'm naturally submissive!"

"Try your half-angel or something."

"Fine," he smirked. "I think I will…"

* * *

><p>Die: ... I have officially fallen in love with Chazz's dragon deck.<p>

Atty: Hey, what about mine? *pouts*

Die: *pets him* Aw, I liked your birdies too...

Zane: ... Reviews will get you one of Chazz's feathers.

Bastion: ... *protectively clutches feather close to heart*

Zane: Or an Atticus smile. Whichever you'd prefer.

Die: O.O MINE! *cuddles Atticus*

Atty: *suffocates and blacks out*

Die: NOOOOOOOOOO!


	9. Chapter 9: Holy Admittance

Die: *sighs*

Jaden: What's wrong Die-chan?

Die: Oh, Cali's really depressed right now, so we aren't getting anything done... I wouldn't even be updating if we didn't have somewhere around chapter 30 written out on my computer...

Chazz: ... You mean there's THIRTY chapters of this shit?

Bastion: ... Apparently so.

Die: More than 30, we've still got the epic conclusion then a sequel idea's buzzing around in my head...

Chazz: That's it, I'm out of here! *storms off*

Syrus: Neither Black Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX!

* * *

><p>Chapter Nine: Holy Admittance<p>

Cienna heard Chazz's yelling from several yards away, a smirk coming to life on her face. She clutched the feather in her hand tighter. Peeking around the corner, she saw that the guards had left their posts to deal with the disturbance. "Thanks Princeton." She muttered. She sighed, sliding through the open door as best she could. Running up the stairs and trying the door, she found that it was unlocked. She shimmied in and closed the door behind her.

Zane's jaw was locked, his eyes closed and breathing even as he tried to restrain himself from touching himself. He would have done it except that, with his heat, there was no real relief brought through masturbating, only more warmth. Sadly, Chazz's words and the lingering scent of his pheromones were making that task rather hard, so his chest was heaving as he tried to calm himself with little success.

"Zane? Is this a bad time?" She asked quietly, stepping closer to his bed.

His eyes opened quickly in shock, but he was glad they did because it gave him something to focus on. He gave her an uneasy smile. "Not really, but no time's really going to be all that much better so long as this twice-damned heat is going, so please, by all means, stay."

She smiled hesitantly. "I um, have something I need to talk to you about." She bit her lip, shifting the hand that held his feather behind her back.

"What is it, **tenshi**? I promise I'll answer you as fully and honestly as I can."

She pulled the feather from behind her back, rotating it between her fingers and gazing at it for a moment. Her gaze leveled with his. "Why did you give me this?" Her canines dug into her lip again. "I overheard Chazz telling Bastion what it means and... I need an answer."

He bit his lip now, debating. He wanted to tell her, he really did, but he didn't want her to leave him because of how he felt, and he didn't want to hurt her by leaping forward into a relationship _now_, while he wasn't in his right mind. "Because I care for you," he answered, looking away as he weighed the pros and cons of telling her more.

She let a small smile free, moving just a bit closer. "There's more to giving away feathers than that."

"You're the first person I ever felt something for that was more than simply wanting to bed you and be done with it," he confessed. "At first, I tried ignoring you to see if it would go away, but it wouldn't. Then, I tried treating you like one of my other… acquisitions, only you turned into… something more. I didn't want you to be _just _a plaything, especially for another demon. So while it was earlier than when I'd planned to give you a feather to keep you safe for when the heat came, I let you keep it anyway because it was just us and I was afraid I wouldn't get a chance to give you another one."

She exhaled sharply, fighting down every instinct that told her to throw herself across the room and kiss him. The midnight feather rested in her palm, pristine. "What does that make us?"

"Ask me that again when this fucking heat is over," he groaned, knowing her scent was driving him crazy and making him want to simply declare her his mate and start ravishing her on the bed. "For the moment, though, we can be whatever it is you want us to be."

By way of answering, she graced him with a smile. "Lucifer and I fought about you last night..."

"Did you now?" he asked. "I should hope you won, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**."

"No one won, really." She replied, smile growing. "Gabriel intervened."

"Tell me about it," he asked, settling in to attentively listen to her story.

* * *

><p>Chazz was rather pissed off that the damn teachers wouldn't let him leave the fucking dorms. He wanted a dominate, fuckdammit, and while Zane was plenty dominate, the other male also happened to be the one both unwilling <em>to <em>actually screw him _and_ tied down at the moment for some reason he couldn't quite recall in his lust-hazed mind, and since he didn't want to fuck himself on someone else's dick, that left him either to take care of the matter himself, something he knew was an impossible task in his current state, something he learned not through lack of trying, or hunt down the source of the delicious scent clinging to his feathers and mate with it. Naturally, he chose the second one.

His black wings were surprisingly strong considering that he naturally fell into a submissive position on these days, the bone easily snapping the black chain they'd put on the windows before the week began to keep the demons contained inside their own dorms when they'd entered heat. Growling as he plucked each individual strand of chain from his midnight-feathered bone, the demon threw open his window and himself out into the cool air, his large wings catching himself easily as he fell down towards the ground, gliding over to the Ra dormitory.

Luck was on his side, for when he reached the window that smelt strongly of the scent, the only inhabitant of the room was a male with short black hair and slate-gray eyes. The demon purred at the sight, feeling his arousal growing even more at the power hidden in those shoulders and what he could gleam of the torso through the yellow jacket in the way. The male looked over at him in shock, eyes widening. "Chazz!" he yelped, running over to the window. "You aren't supposed to be here!"

"Open the window, angel," he replied huskily. "Let me in."

Bastion bit his lip. "The teachers said we weren't supposed to let any demons into our room this week, no exceptions."

Chazz smiled darkly, spreading his hands wide. "Whoever said they had to find out?" he asked, a seductive hint of fang in his mouth. "Besides, it's not as if I won't do any _harm_ being in with you."

Bastion sighed, relenting since the demon seemed so insistent on this and opening the window, only for the demon to spring through the opening and onto Bastion's chest, knocking them both onto the floor and nipping affectionately yet lightly on the neck presented before him. "What the bloody hell are you doing, Chazz?" he demanded, his hands flying up to push on that slender chest before him.

The vampiric demon purred at the attention, his wings shuddering in pleasure at the strong touch. "What does it look like?" he asked, his eyes half-lidded. "I'm in heat and want to rut with you."

That slight shift of those wonderfully soft feathers brought the slightest whiff of the arousing pheromones being emitted from the demon, and Bastion's eyes widened as he felt himself stirring to life. "Bloody hell," he groaned, barely restraining himself from ravishing the other right here and now, "no wonder the teachers don't want you demons around the others."

The Princeton smirked, taking advantage of his unrestrained hips to grind his erection into the counterpart on the angel, earning himself a breathy moan. "Yes," he replied, his fangs teasing his pale lips, "they don't want us mating on campus." He paused for a moment, shifting his ass slightly in a motion that had Bastion coughing up a choked moan. "As if they think that's going to stop the Chazz," he scoffed, his eyes having turned into smoldering black fire with the force of the passion burning through his body.

"By all rights it should," the angel replied, "but gods if I'm going to complain." With a single push of his wings against the laminate floor, he flipped them over, the demon spreading his dark wings out and accepting the change in orientation easily, and slammed their mouths together. The demon moved his hands to the angel's shirt, content to rip the fabric standing in the way of that beautiful chest and relocating his mouth down to a breastbone when his target entered his vision. "Chazz!" the angel moaned, tossing his head back in abandon at such a feeling and the rush of endorphins left in the Princeton's wake. His hands scrabbled at the other's boxers, wanting the contact of flesh on flesh even as the pale minx in his arms wriggled about so that he could disrobe the other as well.

Chazz licked his lips at the sight of Bastion's erection, already wanting that cock stroking his innards and ridding him of this ridiculous heat building inside him. Deciding he rather didn't want to deal with excessive pain this time, he swooped down on Bastion, his tongue sweeping over sensitized flesh. The angel groaned, bucking his hips up into the unprotesting warmth, but the pleasure was over all too soon, its source having drawn back with a smirk. "Not to ruin the fun, angel," he chuckled darkly, "but I'd rather jump to the main event, wouldn't you?"

Bastion didn't answer him verbally, instead scooping the demon up into his arms and depositing them both onto the bed. He'd just been intending on laying his body atop Chazz's, but the demon was faster, twisting his hips at the last moment so that instead the angel ended up penetrating the ass that hadn't been stretched any more than what the demon would give himself to reach his prostate when he was masturbating. The angel froze in shock, not wanting to hurt his partner, but the demon had no such restrictions, thrusting his hips up into the cradle the other had made for him. At that, he lost all sense of control, thrusting without rhythm or reason, earning himself moans and pants from the creature beneath him. He couldn't help breathing out the name. "Chazz, oh gods, so fucking tight."

"Bastion, fucking gods, _harder_, _faster, dammit!_" Black wings thrashed with the tension, wanting to draw it out as he drew closer and closer with the drives to that sensitive bundle of nerves in his ass before he stiffened, his wings driving him up a foot or two from the bed as he came, his tightening ass forcing Bastion's release from him as well. The pair panted there on the bed, sated and Bastion couldn't help but notice that, in the heat of the moment, he had set them down on Cienna's bed instead of his own. Suddenly, Chazz rolled around, smirking dangerously. "Ready for round two?" he purred, flashing his fangs, and so it began all over again…

* * *

><p>Cienna grinned to herself as she walked back to the dorm. Hopefully one more day... "One more day." She whispered, gazing down at the inky feather in her hand. She set a hand on the doorknob, opening it without much attention. The noises coming from the room, however, caught her. Eyes lifting up, she went slack-jawed. "Oh... oh my god." She grabbed a bag hanging on a hook near the door—thankfully stuffed with a new uniform and other such necessities, slammed the door shut behind her, and made her way to the Slipher dorm.<p>

She knocked on Jaden and Syrus's hard, face ashen, eyes locked on the feather. Syrus was the one to open it, looking sleepy. "Cienna?" he asked groggily, blinking. "What're you doing here?"

"Cienna?" Jaden chirped, perking up. He too had been awakened by the knocking, but the difference was, the brunet was so much more energized to see his friend. "OHMIFREAKINGGODS, CIENNA'S GONNA HAVE A SLEEPOVER WITH US!" Black-feathered wings fluttered happily, shedding feathers all over his bed.

"If you don't mind." She said, smiling apologetically at Syrus. "My room is... currently occupied." She flushed, wincing at the images barraging her mind. _They're on _my_ bed. Bastion is SO washing those sheets._

"Of course," the blue-haired boy replied, moving to the side to let her in. "You can have my bed, I'll sleep up with Jaden."

"YAY SLEEPOVER!" The demon bounced up and down on the bed, still ignoring the way his dark feathers were getting everywhere.

Syrus rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Jaden, could you calm down please? You're losing feathers, and I'm running out of places to put them all!"

She gripped the feather in her hand tighter, suddenly terrified she'd lose it amomg Jaden's. "Please calm down, Kid."

"Heeeeey," the taller boy said. "How did you get one of my feathers?" His green eyes went wide. "Did you steal it from Sy when he wasn't looking?"

She clenched her jaw. "It's not yours, Jaden."

"Really?" The brunet cocked his head to the side. "Then who's is it?"

"Jaden!" Syrus scolded. "Cienna doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to. It's late and she likely wants to go to bed!"

She sighed, shaking her head. "He'll bother me until I tell him." She took a deep breath. "It's Zane's."

Syrus stiffened, but it was Jaden who said the "HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?" that was obviously in the bluenet's mind.

She faltered, looking up confusedly before hardening her expression. "What exactly is the problem, Jaden?"

The demon's feathers bristled as he used his wings to pull Syrus to his chest protectively. "The guy's an ass," he stated firmly, the shrouding his dark wings took over the smaller proof enough that he was referring to something in the past that had been done to the angel.

She frowned, running her fingers along the feather. "He's not that bad."

"Cienna, he killed people and physically abused Syrus!"

Her eyes widened. "He _what_?"

"Jaden, I told you not to tell anybody!" the blue-haired boy scolded tearfully. "And yes, he did. After he fell, he turned… completely dark. It took me a long time to get him to the point where he was in a respectable enough state to come to Haven, and even then he wasn't in a good place. For the longest time he… would hit me whenever I'd try to stop him." Tears shone in his mercury eyes before he buried his face in Jaden's shirt.

"Oh Syrus," she murmured, immediately feeling like she was being ripped apart. Part of her was committed to Zane and what could be, but the other part of her knew that abusing people wasn't right—no matter the intention. Confused tears started in her eyes. "I didn't know. I..."

"Don't be sorry," he murmured, peeking out through a gap in Jaden's black feathers. "He hasn't done it in a long time, and besides, he seems… happier recently. I know that when he was with Chazz, he would be gone at odd hours and constantly seemed frustrated, but lately it's more like he puts on the indifferent air because it's his usual mask than because he actually doesn't care about what's happening around him."

Cienna wiped at her eyes, bleary eyes landing on the small boy. She was quiet for a moment, processing. And then she spoke, "Whatever changed... I'm glad it did."

He shrugged. "It only really happened once we got here, so I'd like to say that it's because he's happy to be around me again... but I don't think it's that. If I had to put a label on it… I'd say he's found his soulmate."

_Could that be... me? _"I hope she makes him happy." She said softly. "Whoever she is..."

"She already seems to be," he replied, nudging Jaden's shoulder. "Now come on, Jay, let's go to bed. I'm tired, and anyway, we have school tomorrow."

"Yeah..." She muttered, curling around fingers around the feather again, staring down at it thoughtfully. "Thanks guys." She dug around in her bag for something more comfortable, coming up with a tank-top and pair of boxers. She laughed quietly. "This works, I guess."

The two didn't reply since they were already curled up tightly together, Syrus's head buried in the crook of Jaden's neck while the latter's black wings curled tightly and protectively around the former.

She smiled fondly at the sight. _They're soulmates, obviously_. Her heart clenched at the words, a small tear still ripped down the middle at the information she'd received. She tucked Zane's feather under her pillow, changed, and crawled into Syrus's bed. Her fingers scrabbled under the pillow for the comforting velvet appendage. "Goodnight Zane." She whispered. And her new mantra. "Just one more day." _Then my questions will get answered_.

* * *

><p>Bastion gasped as Chazz sat up, obviously wanting yet another round. <em>Holy fuck, when those accounts said a demon's heat made them extremely horny, they weren't messing around! <em>His wings pushed forward a cushion of air instinctively as the other came near, where to his surprise, the demon paused, a strange expression crossing his pale face. "Huh," the Princeton muttered, his dark wings snapping shut, "who would have guessed that an angel's bastard would have the power to push back a demon's heat?"

"Wait... what?" Bastion wasn't sure he heard the demon correctly.

"What you did just now," he explained. "Your wings buffeted a pheromone towards me that counteracted my own and at least brought me out of the lust-haze of the heat, even if it's likely only temporary."

"Okay..." Bastion murmured, at a loss for what else to say.

The black-haired male averted his gaze, instead letting the posters on the wall beside them carry his interest for a long moment. "Do you regret what we did?"

"No. Do you?"

"Right now, no," he murmured quietly. "Later, though, I likely will."

Bastion extended an arm towards the demon, "Why?"

"Everyone wants a piece of the Princeton name and fortune," he answered softly, wings wrapping around himself as he played his pale fingers along the feathered bone. "Being in my… position, if you will, means that I'm viewed as weak, which is a liability. I cannot afford to be weak, so I do not take up with this side of my nature since every time I do, I get it thrown back in my face. Even Zane, the most accepting of this side of me, degrades me every time I go to him for help."

The angel listened attentively. "What makes you think I'll be the same as the others?"

"Because a Princeton demon should submit to none, even in the matters of the bedroom," he stated coldly. "And what's worse, it should not be done to anything even remotely _holy_." His wings bristled for a moment under his spidery fingers before he pressed them back with a sweeping touch. "Besides, my life has been one big whirlwind of betrayal and hurt, what's one more to add to my growing tally?"

"If you go through life thinking like that, it's no mystery that you've had so much hurt." Bastion muttered gently.

Obsidian eyes narrowed in sudden anger as Chazz suddenly rolled over, pinning Bastion to the bed. Dark wings pushed down hard on their pristine counterparts, the same as the demon utilized his slender, lithe body to trap the larger one beneath him. "Fuck you!" he hissed. "You have no idea how much suffering I've been through to get where I am today! I gave up everything I had to try to be happy, and for what? To be patronized by some angel bastard?" He shoved himself away, stalking towards the door and snatching up his boxers where he'd abandoned them on the floor. "Fuck this, I'm going to go back to my dorm. Zane may be an ass, but at least he doesn't care what the fuck I've been through and doesn't try to press the wound any deeper than it already is."

"Chazz!" Bastion scrambled after him. "That's not what I was trying to say!"

He paused, his hand on the brass doorknob, wings stiff with each and every feather bristling and visible. "What did you mean then, Misawa?" He almost wanted to hate himself for daring to hope that the other wasn't going to just add his own scar on Chazz's weak heart, but he couldn't quite quash that slight flickering of faint hope he placed in the angel.

"I meant," the angel began, "that if you spend your life holding the wrongs done to you so close to your heart, it makes it much easier to hurt it again. Some things just... have to be held at arms' length, no matter how hard."

A wry chuckle met his ears, something that was full of pity and scorn both at the same time. "You try holding something at arms' length when you see the evidence every time you look in a fucking mirror, Misawa."

"It's not supposed to be easy." He held back any reaction to the scorn, determined to stay on the topic at hand.

Chazz opened his mouth to retort 'Yeah, well, you try falling from an angel by being raped by your two older brothers, one of whom was an angel at the time, and _then _come back and tell me about easy!' but he found himself choking on the words, not wanting to other to know exactly how dirty and used he was yet. Surely he must have some idea that Chazz wasn't a virgin, the way he was with Zane spoke volumes about his promiscuality, but he just could not bring himself to vocalize it yet. Instead, he wet his lips and whispered, "I'm so damn tired, Misawa. I'm damn tired of having to fight it away on my own…"

"You don't have to be on your own anymore. Not if you want someone to be there." The Ra student took a few steps closer.

"No one would pick me up the next time I fall down," Chazz confessed quietly, wings hunching closer. "I've been powering along on my own for so long that everyone I once had has either abandoned me or been pushed away. Zane's the closest thing to what I would call a friend, but modern society would declare he's more of a fuck buddy, and they're right. If Zane knew exactly how weak I was, he'd likely spit on me and kick me in the ribs before he turned around and walked away."

A few steps closer. "I wasn't referring to them."

"Who _were_ you referring to then?" he asked warily, still expecting to hear a 'fuck off' from the angel.

"Myself." He said quietly. "I'd be perfectly happy to pick you up after a fall."

Chazz let out a wail, spinning on his heel and throwing himself into Bastion's arms, sobbing into the angel's strong chest. He hated himself for losing control so completely, the ability of being able to dictate what went on in his life was what soothed him and had gotten him over the craving of contact that he'd developed after his rape, but the angel always seemed to bring out this side of him.

"Shhhh." The angel soothed. "You're not alone anymore. I've got you. I'll keep you safe." He could tell Chazz's trust was fragile, so he would not push the demon any further tonight, instead sweeping the smaller up into his arms and laying them both down in his bed, curling both his arms and his white wings around the Obelisk. He lay there, petting the ebony strands of hair soothingly until they both succumbed to sleep, having been worn out from the copious amounts of love-making and the drama they'd had to sit through.

* * *

><p>Zane looked up from where he was tied to the bed and frowned. He regretted sending Chazz away now, when there was no one to relieve his heat on, but he was left to merely growl out curses under his breath. Where the smaller demon had gone, he didn't know, but wherever it was, Chazz must have been getting some damn good sex out of it if he hadn't come back by now…<p>

* * *

><p>Green eyes opened at the feeling of something being not quite right, black wings tensing protectively in their position over the little angel curled against his chest. Jaden sat up, eyes scanning the dark warily. Sure, he knew that the entire Slipher dorm was covered in protective spells and enchantments, some of which laid down by Syrus himself, but he couldn't help but feel something was wrong.<p>

Cienna woke to the feeling of a familiar soul drifting through the room. _Gabriel_? She thought quietly. _God, I hope Jaden doesn't wake up right now_. She sat up, reaching out with her mind, probing for her father. _Dad? What are you doing here_?

_Where is he? _the voice replied softly, beseechingly. _I know he is here, I can feel him, yet at the same time, he is not…_

She tugged her lip between her teeth. _Syrus? He's one bunk up... With Jaden_.

_Not Syrus, _was the whispered return. _Lucifer._

_Lucifer isn't here, Dad_. She returned, pushing the blankets away and throwing her legs over the side of the bed, feather still clutched in her hand. _I would've felt him_.

"No," a familiar voice answered in a way that was unfamiliar to them. "I can sense him… _Luci…_"

"Syrus?" Jaden ventured tentatively, staring with wide green eyes at the jerky movements of the boy in his embrace.

"Not Syrus," he corrected. "Gabriel."

"Dad!" Cienna hissed. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

He smiled at her, bouncing out of Jaden's weak embrace and into her lap. "Searching for my Luci, silly!" He nuzzled her chin contentedly, his white wings fluttering behind him. "It's good to see you again, sweetie! Tell me, how are you and that Zane fellow getting along? He misses you, you know."

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. After several moments of this, she found her voice. "Dad, you know it's great to see you." She smiled weakly. "Really, it is. But you can't just take over other people's bodies whenever you feel like it."

He waved aside her protests. "Please, it's my reincarnated body, I can take it over whenever the hell I want. Besides, I need to find Luci before he gets into any trouble."

"He?" Jaden shrieked, dark wings flapping agitatedly, but he was ignored.

"Oh yes, and I took a peek in at Zane. Damn, that's one _fine _choice of specimen you chose there, sweetie, but he's even finer for ignoring his heat to talk to you!" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

She clenched her jaw. "We're not talking about that right now, Daddy. But what's Lucifer getting himself into now?" She threw a sympathetic look at Jaden. "I'll explain all this later, Kid. I swear."

He shrugged. "I don't know, he said something about wanting to make sure the past didn't happen again. Anyway, did you hear the news?"

"Will Syrus be all right?" Jaden asked, obviously resisting the urge to just dart over there and scoop the blue-haired boy up into his arms.

To her father, she replied. "Yeah, I heard. And what the fuck does _that_ mean, anyway?" She sighed and turned to her long-time friend. "He'll be fine. Trust me. I won't let Daddy do anything bad." At that, she shot her father a look.

He shot her an unrepentant smile. "You make it sound like I'm going to kill him before I leave." He turned his gaze back to the brunet, who was now picking at his wings forlornly, wincing every time he accidentally pulled a feather loose and discarded it to the bed. "And it's a long story, one I don't really want to tell you."

"Dad." She groaned. "Tell me what's going on. If Lucifer gets into trouble, who _knows_ what'll happen?" She turned her gaze to Jaden, catching his wrist. "Stop, Jaden. He's going to be fine. I promise."

"Easy for you to say," he grumbled. "Your mate isn't the one who's being possessed by another person who's been dead for centuries."

"Well, you see, we kinda took two demon-angel relationships under our wing, so to speak, so that they'd avoid losing each other like Luci and I did. Lucifer picked your friend Bastion and his soulmate Chazz, while I picked-"

Suddenly, there was a strange demon girl with long black hair and ruby eyes entering the room, sitting herself down on a chair. "Hello there," she stated calmly. "My name is Branwen Ravenwood."

* * *

><p>Die: Yay, I interjected my own character! *victory dances*<p>

Zane: ... She found the sugar again, didn't she?

Jaden: *is acting like he's on crack*

Syrus: No. She's selling lollipops for a fundraiser.

Zane: Ah.

Bastion: Please review, it'll make Die update faster and (hopefully) get Cali writing again!

Jaden: WE'LL EVEN GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO SPANK CHAZZ!

Bastion: ... Wait, what?

Die: Or Zane.

Zane: What are you talking about, woman?

Die: SO REVIEW! *throws sparkles into the air*


	10. IMPORTANT NOTICE!

ATTENTION EVERYONE! I am discontinuing this fic!

Well, not exactly. You see, like I've been saying, Cali's not wanting to write at this moment since it's a rather stressful time in her life.

Now most people would simply go on a hiatus and call it a day, but not I. I want to keep working, if only so that I don't lose the idea. That's part of the reason why I've decided to do this, the other parts lying in content, grammar, and spelling mistakes (this is all one big file on my computer and Word has stopped marking any spelling/grammar mistakes anymore... I digress).

I will say upfront that I have give or take 30 chapters of this done. It may not be fixed, but it's been written out. However, as the story goes, the content contradicts itself due to sudden plot twists (yes, we DO make this up as we go along...), so it is with great regret and triumph that I make two announcements.

ANOTHER PERSON WILL BE JOINING THE TEAM FOR THIS FIC! Sakura7865 shall be helping me by doing some editor work and stuff while Cali's down and shall (hopefully) be staying on even when Cali comes back.

And secondly, THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE REMASTERED! Yes, that's right, remastered. So what does that mean exactly?

Well, it means that I'm going to be taking the story and revising it to fix it. When the revisions for the first chapter are complete, this story shall be deleted and instead posted under a new title and summary. This final title is yet to be decided, but it will be part of a three-part series (at least, I hope so anyway) that will begin with this one, **Broken Halo**. The pairings I mentioned earlier will remain the same, and the storyline roughly equal, but the main difference will be any corrections and some new content for either removing all the lemon material to drop the rating down to T or raise it to M.

With that mentioned, I'll add one final note: PLEASE VOTE ON THE POLL TO DECIDE WHETHER THIS FIC BECOMES T OR M! I can't figure it out myself, I'm the only one who actually **writes **lemons, and I've never written het ones (I've written a threesome with a female before... don't ask), but I **was **planning on trying to for the ending of this one.

With all this said, I thank you for reading the rough of **Broken Halo **and ask that you not only vote in the poll but also continue to read and review the plotline when the remastered version comes out!

With all the hate of a psychotic yami and the love of a faithful duel spirit,

~Black Die


	11. ANOTHER NOTICE!

Hello again everyone!

Betcha thought you had seen the last of me right? WRONG!

I AM GOING TO CONTINUE THIS FIC HERE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS!

1) I do NOT have the time to remaster everything on my own in addition to passing high school advanced classes and getting through with my Colors series.

2) Cali has been doing jack squat on this lately. She doesn't do lemons, editing, or remastering and she hasn't done writing in at least a week.

3) I just want to get on with this.

4) The poll was inconclusive.

AS A RESULT, I'M GONNA CHANGE THE NAME AND CHAPTER NAMES (and maybe the summary too) AND KEEP GOING! STAY TUNED, THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET GOOD!

With all the hate of a psychotic yami and the love of a faithful duel spirit,

~Black Die


	12. Chapter 10: Holy Dinner

Die: I'M BACK, WOO!

Chazz: Great, just when I was beginning to think I was vaguely safe...

Die: *hits him* Hey, people like this story, so shut up and deal with it.

Chazz: *pouts* Fine.

Jaden: No one here owns Yu-Gi-Oh! GX unless they're Japanese and the actual creator, which these two authors are not.

* * *

><p>Chapter Ten: Holy Dinner<p>

"My friend Atticus Rhodes told me I should be here at this time," Branwin continued, her light voice slinking gracefully through the air, "since he's a seer, I listened to him, even if it was rather a pain in the ass to escape my dormitory."

Cienna scowled. "Atticus is quite the asshole. But I suppose we could use a seer..." She offered a mild smile. "Cienna Oliver."

Branwen laughed softly, a light tinkling kind of sound she kept hidden behind a small hand. "Yes, well," she uttered when she recovered herself, fiddling with the hem of her dark burgundy silk nightgown, "Atticus only acts like that when he's in heat. When he's out of it, he's simply annoying peppy."

"Wait a minute!" Jaden cried, looking at her. "Aren't you Obelisks forbidden from leaving your dorms right now?"

"It only really matters when they're in heat. Which she obviously isn't." Cienna answered.

"Actually," she murmured softly, ducking her head shyly in an attempt to conceal her blush, "female demons don't go into heat, only males. They merely state that all Obelisks keep to their dorms in an attempt to disguise what's really going on and to try to prevent any cross-dorm fraternization."

Cienna held down a laugh. "Explains a lot." She turned to Gabriel. "You still have to explain, Daddy."

He leaned in to whisper into her ear. "It's _her_ relationship I'm dealing with!"

Almost as if she knew she was being talked about, Branwen cocked her head to the side, letting her hair fall over her face. "You know, I thought you were Zane's plaything, Cienna, what with the way his scent is all over you."

Cienna's jaw clenched, fingers still wrapped tightly around the feather. "And your point would be _what_?"

"Nothing," she stated. "I was just wondering if Zane was courting again." However, the way her fingers flitted lightly over the edges of her dark wings told a different story from the one her lips were distributing for display.

"Please." The blonde said. "I know I've known you for literally a few minutes, but I'd appreciate it if you said whatever's on you mind. If you feel comfortable."

She shrugged. "It's more information than anything, and I'm not entirely sure you'd want to hear it from me."

"But now it's hanging over my head." She grumped.

"Very well," she stated, leaning forward into the light and letting the moon glance off her incredibly pale skin and pin-straight black hair.

"Hey," Jaden asked suspiciously, interrupting what she was going to say, "are you related to Chazz Princeton in any way?"

She giggled at that, shaking her head. "No," she replied. "Most people think we are though." Growing serious, she added, "Chazz's family is known for producing demons, although there _is _some angel blood in there, but mine remains all demons, mainly because we're all born that way." She shook her head. "Anyway, to return to the crux of the matter, I used to date Zane Truesdale before he dumped me to sleep with Alexis Rhodes, my best friend's sister."

Cienna sighed. _His reputation just keeps getting better_. "Well I apologize for him." _Oh, we're going to have some things to talk about when he gets over that goddamned heat._

She shrugged. "I'm over it now. Atticus was rather comforting at the time, though I dumped him because he always wanted to get into bed with me. I merely mentioned the affair because I thought it fair to warn you." Her fingers went up to brush her bare neck and she visibly drooped at the touch of skin against her sensitive fingertips.

"Thank you." Cienna smiled, eyes curious at her actions. "Are you all right, though?"

Branwen smiled softly, shaking her head as if to clear depressing thoughts from her head. "Of course," she murmured in her soft-spoken voice. "I merely feel rather lonely in a room where everyone has something to clutch onto of their loved one."

Cienna flinched, eyes falling back to the feather in her hand. "Yes..." She was entranced by it for a moment, forcing herself to return her gaze to Gabriel. "Any ideas on where he is, Daddy?"

"Well, I could guess…" he murmured softly. "But personally, I can't wait until your friend comes. The two of you always got along so well…"

She laughed. "Yeah, it'll be good to see him."

"See who?" Branwen asked curiously. She shifted her wings about from where they were folded against her back to reveal that they, like Jaden's, were rather small for a fullblooded demon, although she was pureblood demon through and through, a close niece of Leviathan's.

"Aster Phoenix. A good friend of mine." Cienna couldn't help but laugh at the memories that attacked her.

"_The _Aster Phoenix?" she gasped, dark wings snapping back. "You mean, like _the _Aster Phoenix who shot an arrow straight through a target and into an apple over fifty yards away?"

Cienna laughed. "Yeah. That's him. Such a damn show off." The demon merely nodded, biting her lip as she looked down into her lap. "He'll be coming here in a few days." She smiled. "You remember him, Jaden?"

"No," the brunet replied, obviously anxiously awaiting Syrus's return.

"Are you certain it is such a good idea for him to come to this school?" Branwen asked, ruby eyes fixated on her slender fingers. She hated how quiet she was, how fragile she was. She was a delicate thing, not at all hardy like Cienna was, and she could never hope to match the Ra's attitude and nature. "After all, I imagine most of the demons would be pissed to know such a powerful angel is currently on campus…"

"He can take care of himself." She smiled at the girl, taking a liking to her. "He always has."

"If you say so," the demon replied, hardly sounding convinced.

"Don't worry!" Gabriel chirped, smiling at her. "If you keep an eye on him, he might survive with a minor concussion!" She paled, trembling like an aspen leaf at that.

"Daddy!" Cienna snapped, crossing the room and setting a hand on the trembling gir's shoulder. "Don't scare her!"

"I'm not scared," Branwen whispered. "I just don't like the idea of violence, that's all."

"Huh, a demon who doesn't like to fight," Jaden muttered, "that's a first."

"Hardly," Gabriel snorted. "Luci didn't particularly like it either…"

"Would you get out of here!" the brunet growled, his patience having run out.

Cienna shot them both a glare. "Alright, here's the deal." Her voice forced the attention of those in the room. "Daddy, if you don't need anything else, do me a favor and go look for Lucifer so you can evacuate Syrus's body as soon as possible. Jaden, please try to tolerate Gabriel. I know he's a pain, but he is my father nonetheless. And Branwen, it's fine. I can protect Aster if he needs it."

Branwen held her hand out for the soul. "It's okay," she murmured softly, letting her long black hair shade her eyes as she got up. "I'll take Gabriel with me to find him."

"Ever the lady," the angel murmured softly, letting Syrus go limp as he stepped out of the body he inhabited and into hers, Jaden diving to catch the smaller boy in his arms. "Fare well, sweetie, and do not blame your soulmate for what the mistakes he has made in the past."

* * *

><p>Her father's words ringing in her ears, even all those hours later, Cienna pushed what was left of her pancakes around her plate absently. Syrus sat beside her and Jaden beside him, the latter talking animatedly.<p>

"Hey," Jaden asked, "is that Branwen over there by herself?"

He wasn't lying. Sitting there at a table that was one of the favorites of the Obelisks was none other than the Ravenwood, picking a bagel to pieces with her slender fingers, the majority of the bread sitting there untouched on her plate.

Thankful for the distraction, Cienna immediately stood. "I'll be right back." She weaved her way through the room, dropping into the empty seat by Branwen. A smile appeared on her face. "Hi."

The dark-haired girl gave her a small smile, pausing in her actions to affix her ruby eyes to the tawny ones of her interloper. "Hello there."

"So I was thinking that if Daddy didn't scare the hell out of you last night and you're still willing to talk to us, you're totally welcome to join me and the boys at breakfast." Her grin widened.

She looked down at the bagel. "I wouldn't want to impose…"

"You wouldn't be. I need someone sane aside from Syrus. Jaden's ridiculousness is overwhelming."

"Isn't there usually another person who sits with you, a Ra boy with black hair and slate-gray eyes?"

"He's... occupied." She laughed uncomfortably. "And even when he's back, you're welcome to come sit with us."

"Oh no, I could never impose upon someone, and besides, Atticus should be back by then. Alexis doesn't usually sit with me when her older brother isn't here since I can't stand her and her dumb-ass friends Mindy and Jasmine." She gathered up her books into her arms, pulling the plate with the bagel atop it, and shyly walked over to the table, placing her things down at the very end some distance away from the others.

"Nuh-uh." Cienna shook her head, scooping the other girl's things into her arms and dropping them across from where she sat. "None of us bite. I promise." She then paused, feeling bad. "But if you'd rather sit over there... that's okay. I don't want to make you uncomfortable..."

"No, no, it's fine." She gave a hesitant smile. "I just don't like a lot of people in my personal space. I was beaten often as a child, and while I don't hate people or anything, I just startle easily and always need to know who's around me at all times."

Cienna frowned at that. "You're safe with me, Branwen. Always will be." She offered another grin. "I don't usually ask before I kick ass."

"It's nothing personal," the demon murmured softly. "To be honest, most demons have some kind of trust issue because of how they ended up as demons…"

"Yeah, I've noticed that..." Cienna said quietly, reaching into her bag and finger the feather. _I need to get a necklace or something for this. I don't want to lose it._ "But I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"I'm not," Branwen replied. "If it hadn't happened, my parents never would have taught me how to be a 'proper demon', so they wouldn't have let me out of the house, and then I wouldn't have met Atticus, who smuggled me out and to Haven, where I met you three."

"Um, not to sound stupid or anything," Syrus interrupted, "but who the hell is this chic?"

"You're certainly more positive than anyone I know. Except maybe Jaden." Cienna laughed. "Syrus, this is Branwen Ravenwood. Branwen, this is Syrus Truesdale."

She gave a faltering smile in reply. "Only because I'm medicated." She nodded at the blue-haired boy. "A pleasure to meet you, Syrus."

"So now that we've got that out of the way," Cienna said brightly, "why don't we come to a more positive subject, eh?" She paused for a moment. "Oh! I know! Anyone's family coming to Parent's Day?"

Syrus shook his head. "Zane and I were disowned years ago."

Branwen bit her lip. "Perhaps. Father is awfully busy at this time of year, but Uncle might come like he did last year."

Filled with mixed emotions, Cienna directed each comment to their correct person. To Syrus, "God, I'm sorry." To Branwen, "Well someone's better than no one, right?" And to Jaden, "What about you, Jay? Do I get to see your mom again?"

Syrus shrugged. "Don't be, we're kinda used to it by now."

"Yeah, my uncle's a pretty nice guy, so I generally don't feel too bad. But, he also said he's been getting bogged down with work too, so he may have to skip this year. I'll be a little sad, of course, but Atticus said that if I was alone, he'd take me out to the beach, so I'm not going to be alone either way." Branwen.

"Probably, she's been looking forward to this thing all month." Jaden.

She laughed outright at Jaden. "I figured she would be. My dads are coming. And my uncles. And Sylvia." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be dead by the end of the day."

"Aw, come on, they can't be that bad!" Syrus chuckled.

Branwen's gaze fell to her food again. _Am I really… that much of an outsider among others just because of my heritage? I am related to the seven incarnations of sin… and yet I feel just as out of place here as I am among my own kind… _She pushed away her plate, her appetite suddenly gone.

"They are, though." Cienna shot back. "With Dad, Daddy, and Uncle Marik on the island all together, it'll be a miracle if I'm still allowed to go to school here." She shrugged despite her words. "But hey, they're family. What can you say?" Throwing a grin at Branwen, he face immediately fell, hand casually dropping across the table to rest near the other girl's—a small attempt at comfort.

"I'm fine," Branwen murmured, pushing away and striding towards the door, her uniform disgusting her. "I think I'm going to go see Atty today, he'll likely welcome the distraction…"

"All right..." Cienna couldn't help but feel like this was somehow her fault. If she hadn't brought up Parent's Day...

"It's nothing personal," she assured them. "I just… really missed Atty." A tentative smile graced her lips. "Atty's always been there for me, even if he is rather goofy…"

_I get that_. Cienna threw a look at Jaden. "Yeah, I know how that is. But we'll see you around, right?" _I need more girl friends... I've spent my life surrounded by guys_.

She looked down at her fingers. "I don't know. I have… business to attend to tomorrow, so I won't be here at school, and then I won't stay with you guys if Atty decides he doesn't want to…"

"Okay." She held in her frown. "Well it was nice talking to you, then."

"And you."

* * *

><p>Zane sighed, leaning against the wall beside his bed. It was his last day of heat, so he was calmer, but still… he worried about Cienna. As if he had summoned her, a tentative knock on the door caught his attention. "Come in," he called.<p>

However, it was Branwen Ravenwood standing on the other side. "Hello Zane," she murmured softly, settling herself on Chazz's bed.

"Branwen?" He was unable to contain his surprise.

She brought her wings around to run her fingers through the midnight feathers. "I was just wondering what your plans were for Cienna Oliver."

Eyebrows raised, he asked. "Why are you asking?"

"Because I met her last night and she seems like such a sweet girl. I don't want you to hurt her like you did me, Zane Truesdale."

Surprise registered on his face, falling quickly to his normal mask. "I don't intend to."

"I should hope not, otherwise I'll have to break the promise I made to Atty and let out my demon side." She smirked, letting the very tip of her ivory horns peek through her dark hair.

"Not to be rude, Branwen, but when did Cienna's well-being become your concern?"

Her wings ruffled in annoyance. "Since you decided that it was in your better interests to use me to get closer to Atticus, and thus to Alexis in order to sleep with her." Her smirk grew dangerous. "You never did know that the Ravenwoods descended from the Seven Originals, did you? If you had, you certainly _never _would have settled for a distant relative of Leviathan's, no matter how slutty she is."

His eyes widened. "There's no way..."

"Of course there is," she snorted. "I was sent here to counteract the angel who had descended from the Four Originals, but sadly, I haven't yet managed to find him." She wrapped her wings around herself. "In fact, killing him is to be my… initiation into the family."

"_That's_ why you're here?"

She laughed coldly, letting her horns spiral out, criss-crossing her body over her uniform. "Of course. Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and the rest of the Original angels deserve to die in the throes of agony for what they did to my ancestors. Sadly, since they retreated to Heaven, the only revenge we can take is upon their children."

"I see..."

She tapped the pale bone, waiting until it shrunk back to hide beneath her midnight hair before she stood. "You can't tell anyone any of this, you know," she informed him primly. "They'll never believe you."

"I never particularly intended to." The other replied solemnly.

"Tell you what," she muttered, leaning against the doorway. "I'll give you one chance to undo whatever damage you've caused. If you don't have her willing to sit on your lap at dinner tonight… I'll take back my gift." She flapped her wings hard towards him, letting him smell the pheromones she'd collected that dropped him right out of heat as quickly as he would have if Professor Crowler had come in naked and started making out with Professor Banner and Pharaoh. "Remember," she murmured, recapturing his attention, "on your lap at dinner." She then turned and walked away, going next door to Atticus's room, where she curled up on the brunet demon's chest and fell asleep, his dark wings protecting her.

* * *

><p>Cienna sighed, running her fingers through her hair absently. "Am I the only one bored out of their mind?" she whispered to Syrus.<p>

"No," he whispered back. "And why the hell did we sit all the way up here again anyway? It's not like Chazz is here with us…"

"Easier to whisper without getting noticed." She whispered back.

"What are we whispering about?" Jaden added in a stage whisper. "Professor Banner looks like he's going to sic Pharaoh on the poor sap who's knocking on the door."

"I wonder who's gonna get clawed in the face..."

"Zane Truesdale?" the man asked at the sight of the demon in his usual uniform. "I thought you were going to miss today as well."

Cienna's head jerked up, eyes wide. "Zane?" She breathed.

"I was supposed to," he answered the man, not yet letting his eyes sweep across the room, "but my sickness ended early."

Professor Banner nodded. "Very well, take you usual seat up with the whispering trio. Hopefully you'll be able to keep them in line."

"I'll try my best, sir," he answered, turning and affixing his gaze to Cienna.

She flushed, turning her attention to her notes. Noting the rather... conspicuous doodles, she flipped the page, flushing deeper.

"I do believe you're in my seat," he whispered huskily into her ear, unable to resist nipping it softly with his teeth and uttering a low chuckle.

She jumped, flushing such a deep red that she resembled a stoplight. "A-am I?"

"Mm hmm," he hummed in confirmation, settling himself down in Chazz's usual spot. For once, his dark wings hid beneath his blue jacket, content to remain that way unless she pulled them out herself.

She forced her attention to her notes, resisting the urge to doodle for fear of what may result and struggling to pay attention because of the body resting in the chair beside hers. She glanced at him, offering a small, blushing smile. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly so nervous?_

He focused on the lesson, taking detailed notes even though it was near the end of class. Aware of her shift in attention, he asked, "Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well..." she chewed on her lip. "Yes and no..."

"Go on."

"I just got a lot of unexpected information while you were gone and... I don't know... Part of me wants to know and part of me doesn't."

He sobered up, looking away. "I've done a lot of things in my past that I'm not proud of, but I promise to try to explain them all to you as best I can."

She smiled softly, blush having faded away. "I'm not sure I really need an explanation for the first one but... Branwen Ravenwood..."

Underneath his jacket, his wings stiffened. _Of_ course _it would have to do with Branwen,_ he thought to himself. "Can we talk about it at dinner? Class is about to end, and besides, I would like to have some company since Chazz isn't going to show up."

A cheery smile came to life. "Sure. No problem."

* * *

><p>At dinner, Branwen sat on her own again, daintily eating a small slab of perfectly-cooked lamb along with some cooked carrots while reading a book on angel spells, though Zane was well aware of her eyes following him as he settled down at his usual spot.<p>

Cienna walked in with the boys, giving them an apologetic look as she rushed through the line, snagging some ham and mashed potatoes. She set her tray down across from Zane and dug a Cherry Coke from her purse. "Hi, Zane." _Kiss him, kiss him! No, no. Be patient_.

"Hello, my **kentouchigaino tenshi**," he answered in reply, the place in front of him absent of both food and a table setting.

"Not eating?" She asked concernedly.

He shook his head. "Coming here is more about talk than food at the moment, for me anyway."

She laughed in astonishment. "Couldn't do it."

He chuckled in spite of himself. "Usually I don't, but when I have something serious on my mind, food becomes a lesser priority."

She sobered. "Well in that case, let's get the seriousness out of the way."

He nodded. "As you wish, **tenshi**."

"Branwen." She said softly, preparing herself for the brutal truth.

"What about her?"

"Why'd you leave her?" Honestly, she was terrified of his answer.

He sighed. "She may seem sweet and innocent, but to me… I was always thinking she was keeping secrets. She was always close to Atticus, and while I usually wouldn't mind that, it put a strain on our relationship. When Chazz started complaining about how her scent varied wildly, I took it as a sign and broke up with her."

"And started sleeping with Alexis?" She hadn't meant for it to slip out.

Another sigh. "In the demon world, influence is power. I became her lover thinking she was closer to her uncle Leviathan, but she wasn't. It was a one-time thing anyway, and I felt nothing for her."

_How many times have I heard Father say the same thing about the demonic society_? She let herself smile. "All right. I trust you."

He visibly relaxed, his wings coming out from inside his jacket. "That's good to hear," he murmured softly.

"Were you really that stressed?" She asked, worry crossing her face as she moved over to sit next to him, food abandoned. He nodded, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. She sighed, weaving her fingers through his. "I'm sorry, Zane."

"You didn't mean it, **tenshi,**" he answered, looking down at their entwined fingers with a neutral expression. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

She looked down at their hands too, smiling softly. "This may sound stupid," she murmured, "but I missed you."

"It doesn't," he reassured her. "I missed you too."

She leaned against him, smile growing. "Good to know." She reached into her bag, pulling out the still-pristine black feather. "For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to leave it in my bag at Slipher..."

"That's likely a good thing," he murmured. "I've heard rumors that that Aster Phoenix boy can kill someone with only a feather…"

She laughed at that. "He's pretty good, no denying it. But I guess I stopped thinking about how powerful he is..."

He reached out, pulling her plate over, along with her silverware. "Eat," he urged gently. "No point in you skipping a meal on my account."

She looked up at him, smiling, and caught his lips with her own rather than eat.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Jaden said, looking up from his food, "is that Cienna and your brother making out over there?"<p>

"Oh, come on Jay, that'd be ridicu-" Syrus broke off when he saw that the brunet was actually right. "Holy shit on a damn sandwich with fuck on top!" he blurted, eyes wide.

* * *

><p>Branwen scowled at the kissing couple, hating that she was so alone. She pushed away her half-eaten meal, suddenly not hungry anymore with the empty void in her stomach. She wanted someone to banish the darkness she knew lurked in her heart…<p>

* * *

><p>Aster stared out at the ocean he was passing through, noting with mild interest that the sun had almost set. More pressing things were on his mind, of course, things like the demon threat he would encounter at Haven, the possibility of ridiculous fan girls, and of course locating his best friend among the other students. No doubt, she'd tackle him the moment she got through the crowd, only leaving his side if there was something else catching her attention. She'd already sworn up and down that she'd keep an eye on him while he was at school. And then there was the matter of telling her that he was again single—something he did not look forward to. <em>Only a few more hours<em>. He thought to himself. _Whether that be good or bad_. And with that thought, he headed towards his cabin.

* * *

><p>Chazz was the first to reawaken but only to the sight of Bastion curled up beside him. He sighed, soothing himself at the fact that the other male was safe. "Is something wrong, Chazz?" the angel asked, stirring at the wakefulness of the other.<p>

The demon bit his lip. "Not particularly."

The Ra couldn't contain a small smile at how cute the other was being. "If you say so." He patted the bed beside him. "Now come on, back to sleep. We can't have me fall asleep in the middle of fucking you into next week, now can we?"

The Obelisk couldn't keep a slight twist coming to his lips in amusement. "No," he answered, settling himself back down. "We can't have that." _Can I? Perhaps I will… but not now. When we wake up again…_

* * *

><p>Bastion: Yay, that's over.<p>

Syrus: Hey, is the sky SUPPOSED to be dark like that?

Zane: No...

Atty: IT'S A SIGN OF THE END OF THE WORLD, EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Aster: ... It's just a thunderstorm... with a possibility of a tornado...

Chazz: Yeah, I'm getting under cover.

Jaden: If you review, we'll give you some food! *gets strange looks from everyone* Hey, it's not MY food, so I don't care! Besides, Die promised me other food if I gave this stuff away.

Die: ... *innocent look* Sure, Jay, whatever you say...


	13. Chapter 11: Holy Instincts

Die: Happy Turkey Day everybody!

Chazz: ...

Zane: ...

Jaden: *is wolfing down turkey* Mmm, Cali STILL procrastinates, so it's a good thing we have a lot of this stuff archived!

Chazz: ... I am so glad neither Cali nor Die own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX...

Zane: Agreed.

Die: HEY!

* * *

><p>Chapter Eleven: Holy Instincts<p>

Cienna grinned at Zane as they walked into his room. "I think we may have startled a few people at dinner... namely Jaden and Syrus. I could feel them burning holes in the back of my head after that kiss." She sat down on the edge of his bed, dropping her purse by the bed. "Speaking of which, I should probably go grab my bag from their room before they go to sleep..."

"Make sure you keep my feather handy," he whispered, dropping an affectionate kiss on her forehead. His wings were prickling uncomfortably at the aura further back in the dorm, one he recognized yet didn't at the same time. Branwen was likely only being restrained by Atticus, but the surfer couldn't hold her back forever. "I don't want anyone messing with you."

She smiled, pulling him down beside her and leaning into him. "I really doubt anyone will. And besides, I can hold my own against the assholes."

"It's not them I'm worried about, it's the ones in heat that I'm more concerned with."

She laughed quietly. "You worry too much. It won't kill me to have another demon hit on me."

He rolled his eyes. "Demons are possessive creatures by nature. You can't blame me for wanting to protect what's _mine_."

She laughed again, pressing herself closer. "I'm yours, am I?"

"Of course," he declared, eyes firm. "You couldn't get out of it if you tried, **tenshi**."

"Why would I?" She asked, lifting her eyes to meet his. A pretty, delicate smile grew on her face. "Although Parent's Day might change your mind about that."

He let out a growl. "I'd like to see it try."

She chuckled, tracing his jaw to bring his attention to her eyes. "Hey, chill out, Zane. I was just kidding."

He softened, caressing her cheek. "Go on now, **tenshi**. You don't want to risk the others knowing you're not going to be with them tonight, so you'd best go fetch your things."

"You're probably right." She sighed softly, pulling away from him with an intense sort of regret on her face. "I'll be right back."

Almost as soon as she left, the demon girl blew into his room, her eyes twin peaks of flames as she pinned him to the wall. He did not fight her. "You violated the terms of our contract, Truesdale," Branwen hissed, a slender black-scaled reptilian tail lashing behind her.

"Yes," he murmured, "but she's still with me."

"Ah, but not in public," she corrected, wagging a finger in his face. "And so for that, my gift leaves you." He let out a loud gasp, falling to his knees as the full force of his heat hit him, Branwen looking on impassively. "My apologies," she whispered softly, "but I cannot control my dark side anymore…" With that, she turned her back on him, walking away and closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Cienna slid in through the door to Jaden and Syrus's room, trying to be inconspicuous and completely failing. She scrabbled across the room going for her bag as fast as possible.<p>

"Hi there Cienna!" Jaden chirped, looking up from where he was playing with one of Syrus's charms.

"Uh, hi." She muttered, looking abashed.

"I thought you were going to stay the night here," Syrus pronounced confusedly.

"Uh yeah, about that..." She trailed off, unable to come up with a good excuse.

"She hates us!" Jaden cried, forgetting about what he was doing and burrowing his face into Syrus's blue hair.

"No! Of course I don't!" She cried out.

"So you're _not _abandoning us to go sleep with Zane?" he asked slyly, peeking out from the sky locks he had buried himself in.

"W-well..." She stuttered.

"Ha!" he laughed. "You owe me a kiss now, Sy!"

"What?" Her eyes wide.

"Jaden figured you were going to be sleeping with my brother later tonight," Syrus explained, blushing as a triumphant Jaden rested his chin on top of his head. "I didn't think so, so he had us make a wager, which you pretty much confirmed."

"Oh... Yeah, well..." She flushed.

"That's what you get for tangling with Jadenman!"

"JADEN, I ALREADY TOLD YOU, THAT SPIDER WASN'T RADIOACTIVE AND YOU _DON'T _HAVE SUPERPOWERS!"

Cienna sighed, grabbing her bag. "I should probably go."

"LIES, I TELL YOU, LIES! I CAN ALREADY FEEL MY SPIDER POWERS GROWING!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GODS, JADEN, YOU'RE JUST WANTING ATTENTION AGAIN, AREN'T YOU?"

"… Oh my gods, how'd you know?"

"Bye guys..."

"Bye Cienna!"

"WAIT, YOU'RE LEAVING ME? NOOOOOOOOO!"

"GOOD GODS, JADEN, I'LL GIVE YOU ATTENTION!"

"YAAAAAA-" The door slammed shut on his cheering and victory dance, something that was likely very very very _very _good.

She made her way back to the dorm quickly, sliding in and leaning against the door. She turned, a smile on her face. "I'm back."

Zane lunged at her, pinning her to the door with his wings and body weight and kissing her as if someone had told him she was going to die in the next sixty seconds.

Surprised, confused even, she kissed him back. After a moment, she tried pushing him away. "Zane..." she said breathily. "What are you doing?"

"Don't know," he panted when he broke his mouth away, leaning his forehead against hers, "don't care." He went back in, his hands running along every part of her that he could reach.

Pushing him away, she ground out, "Zane, stop."

He yanked her with him, she falling on top of him to straddle his waist a little ways above his hips. "Can't," he groaned huskily.

She pushed herself away. "Dammit Zane! Stop!"

His wings instinctively thrashed at the air, blowing his scent towards her. He wanted her, and he was damn tired of waiting for her. She was about to scream, but as she breathed in, her expression changed. She crashed her lips to his. He moaned in delight, his tongue plundering her mouth for a long moment before he separated it from hers, nipping down her throat and her collar with his wings still occasionally beating the air to stir their combined pheromones around.

* * *

><p>Bastion woke up smiling with Chazz in his arms. His grin widened as he ran his fingers through the demon's hair. The Obelisk stirred at the stroking, purring and shifting his head so that he could better gain attention from the other male. "Morning." The Ra said quietly.<p>

The demon didn't answer, instead leaning forward and biting Bastion's jaw, the tight grip of his arms keeping the other from escaping until after he'd swallowed four or five mouthfuls, then he gently ran his tongue over the wound in order to heal it over.

"What was that for?" The angel asked quietly.

He didn't answer, instead, using his elongated fangs to break the skin of his lips and then pressing his bloody mouth to Bastion's, sticking a bleeding tongue into the angel's mouth. Generally unsure of what was going on, Bastion mostly just stayed still. Chazz suppressed a groan, pulling back and licking his mouth to heal the cut. "You were _supposed_ to swallow that," he muttered darkly, obsidian eyes narrowed.

"Well sorry..." The angel muttered. "How the hell was I supposed to know?"

He brought his wrist to his mouth now, biting down so that he drew blood without even wincing in pain from the action. He held out the injury, his hand tilted back and his blood appearing black in its current pooling. "Drink."

Hesitantly, he did. Pressing his mouth to the wounded wrist and taking a few gulps. He was surprised at how nice it tasted, like chocolate, and he gulped down a few more, especially when he heard how the demon was purring, reaching out to stroke his hair in a soft encouragement. He pulled back, surprise in every corner of his face. "What the hell?"

Chazz shook his head, following him with his wrist. "Just a few more mouthfuls, angel," he whispered, eyes pleading silently.

He smiled slightly, lowering his lips to the open wound and drinking some of the life blood in. "Good, Bastion, good," the demon cooed for encouragement, pulling the other closer with his wings. "Just a little more."

Beginning to feel a little odd, he continued to drink as commanded. After a few more swallows, the Princeton pushed him back. "I'm sorry, angel, but I need a little more myself. Give me your wrist." Hesitantly, the angel pushed his wrist closer to the demon's face. Chazz pressed a gentle kiss to the tanned skin, his dark hair falling over the wrist and hand, before he sunk his fangs into the vein with a care that left it practically painless.

Bastion felt merely a small prick, and from there, a gentle tugging in his veins. All in all, it was actually a rather comfortable experience. "There," the demon murmured, lapping at the two punctures with his tongue. "Better?"

"Mm, yeah." He smiled softly. "Just one question."

"Hmm?" the other asked, not looking up from his task.

"What did we just do...?"

"I marked you as mine," Chazz answered, wings shifting a little guiltily. He didn't want to deal with the backlash of emotion associated with this kind of thing, but considering that he wouldn't have tied Bastion to him, he was willing to put up with it if it meant he had some means of protection from the other.

"As in... mates?"

He nodded, not meeting Bastion's slate-gray eyes.

There was an extended, tense pause. And then a small sigh. "Well all right then."

Chazz stared at him for a long moment before he lunged forward to kiss the angel passionately on the lips. When he finally pulled himself away, he gaze the other a sexy smirk with the tips of his fangs poking out. "But let's get one thing straight here, Misawa. I'm the seme here and I always will be, got it?"

The angel smiled back. "Whatever you say, Princeton."

* * *

><p>Cienna woke up slowly, bleary and sore for some reason she couldn't fathom. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. Out of no where, before she even tried to recall them, the events of the previous night surged to her brain, attempting to pull a screech from her lips. Instead, she scrambled out of the bed as fast as she could, eyes wide, tears already pricking at the corners of her eyes. A rather loud sob escaped her lips.<p>

Zane pushed himself upright slightly at the loss of his "teddy bear" and the loud screech. "**Tenshi**," he whispered softly.

She flinched back, rushing to grab her clothes, tears falling down her cheeks. "Wh- Did we-?" Panic filled her eyes, tears falling faster, body shaking with her sobs.

His wings drooped and he lowered his gaze, already knowing that her distress was his fault and that he could do little to alleviate it. "No," he answered monotonously, "we didn't officially mate last night."

She stuttered for something to say, pulling her clothes closer to her body. "I- I didn't want- I-"

"Just go, **tenshi**," he whispered, sounding tired and broken. "I'm not going to stop you."

She scrabbled to get her clothes on, hands shaking so hard that she could barely button her top. Slowly, the shaking stopped and the crying slowed, as if she was forcing it all down. With one hand on the door, she turned back to him. Resignedly, she informed him, "It's one thing if you're sure you want it, but when you're high on mutated pheromones, it's a different story entirely." With that, she left, shoulders shaking as she struggled to keep her sobs down.

She took off for the Slipher dorm, tears starting again, but this time with more power. She pounded on the door, voice shaking. "Sy? Jay? Please open the door."

Jaden recognized the voice, which was why he opened the door, but he did so rather warily, not quite used to the idea of Cienna, strong self-confident Cienna, with a wavering voice. Upon seeing her face, however, he swept her up into his embrace, slamming the door shut as he wrapped his dark wings around her soothingly.

She pressed her face into his chest, just completely let go. A strangled cry flew from her lips. Her arms wrapped around him as her knees collapsed. In short, she was the most vulnerable she'd ever been. "Oh Cienna, what happened?" he asked, picking her up like a two-year-old and carrying her over to the bed. He pulled her into his lap, tucking her head beneath his chin and stroking her hair soothingly as he kept his midnight feathers firmly wrapped around her.

She shook her head, "The pheromones..." She whispered.

At Jaden's glare, Syrus sighed and climbed up into her lap as well, resigning himself to playing the role of a fluffy teddy bear. The brunet wanted a better answer than some fancy word he couldn't understand, dammit!

She whimpered at the feeling of another person that close, paranoid of contact for the time being. She knew Syrus wouldn't hurt her, but then, he was also Zane's brother. She'd become scared. Weak. She curled herself closer to Jaden, a single phrase befalling her lips. "I don't know if I wanted it..."

Syrus's feet hit the floor, but it was not by his own volition. "I'll kill him!" a voice hissed, one that was not Syrus but instead Gabriel.

Cienna's head bobbed up at the words, eyes wide. "Daddy?" She whimpered, scrambling away from Jaden and towards the form of her father. New found tears sluiced down her face.

The angel spirit nodded, wings flapping agitatedly and spreading white feathers over the dorm room. "I can't believe Luci didn't do a thing to stop it!" he growled. "Oh, he is _so _sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"Daddy..." She said forlornly, climbing off Jaden's bunk and towards him. "Daddy, what do I do?"

He sighed, relaxing and hugging her, the scene rather strange since she was taller than he was. "Do you want me to tell you a secret?" he asked softly.

She nodded, pressing herself as close to the comfort he offered as she could. "Please..."

"When Lucifer lusted after me a few centuries before he ever admitted love," he confessed sheepishly, "he only mated with me so that he could use me in his plan, but do you want to know the _real _secret?"

She nodded, fighting down a giggle and wiping at the tears still falling from eyes. If there was one thing to say about Gabriel, it's that he was good at cheering up his daughter. "Yeah."

"I only hated him for the first century or two we were together."

She choked on her laughter, torn between laughing and crying again. She and Zane didn't have centuries. They didn't even have _a_ century. They had the moment they stood in and she didn't know if she could trust him. With a sigh she buried her face in his shoulder. "I don't know if trust him..."

"It's okay, sweetie," he murmured, ruffling her hair. "You don't have to trust to love."

She sighed. "I still love him... but... what am I supposed to do? I don't... know how to be around him anymore..."

"Simple," Jaden answered, darting over to drape his arms over both their shoulders, "You act like yourself!" At the glares he received, he added, "Or you just run away from him like he's got a contagious terminal disease. Whichever feels easier for you."

After a moment of giving him her signature _Jaden, you're an effing idiot_ face, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "Jaden, you're the best." She whispered.

"Does that mean Jaden gets cookie now?" he asked in a childish voice, giving her a wide smile that caused his eyes to squinch shut.

She giggled, holding onto him a moment longer before stepping away. "Why don't I go see what I have in my purse, eh?"

His eyes went wide now, revealing the green was numerous more shades than a glance suggested. "You're going into the magical bag of wonder?"

She offered a laugh. "You don't have to act like a five-year-old, Jaden. Just yourself." But still, she dug around her purse, fishing for anything resembling a cookie. She came up with a pack of Twizlers, a chocolate bar, and a bag of Oreos. "Any of those work?" He pointed at the Oreos. She gave a mildly appreciative grin that still obviously displayed her sadness, throwing the bag at his face. "Eat up, Kid. We've got a long day ahead and you're _really_ stuck with me today."

* * *

><p>Branwen would never tell anyone this, but she was almost blind. When she was fighting her darkness, she only saw in black-and-white, but it had been like that for as long as she could remember and had gotten used to it as such. To compensate for the lack of sight, however, her scent of smell was just as finely honed as any beast or vampire demon, which was why she smelled the metallic copper from down the hallway, pausing in her movements. On the other end of her arm, Atticus stopped, having jerked to a halt when the hand he was holding didn't give him any give. "Is something wrong, Wren?" he asked seriously.<p>

"Nothing," she stated absently, extracting her hand from his grip. "I merely want to investigate something."

He gave her a tentative smile. "Hurry back."

She returned it, though hers seemed far sadder and mechanical than his did. "Always."

* * *

><p>Zane sat on his bed, watching the beads of blood drip down his forearm without any real emotion on his face. All he could think of was Cienna. <em>She must hate me now<em> He thought darkly. _And she has every right to_. He stared at his blood for a long moment before dragging the blade across his arm again with just a bit more force this time.

"Hmph," a familiar voice snorted, its owner emerging from the shadows with a disinterested look on her face. "I never figured you to be one for self-harm, but I suppose you learn something new every day."

Zane looked up slowly. An unemotional sigh escaped his lips. "What is it exactly you want, Branwen?"

"Simple," she stated, sauntering closer so that she stood in front of him. "To show you that you can do _so _much better than that demon bastard you took up with."

He tensed. "_Don't_ call her that."

"And why not?" She settled herself down on his lap without seeking his permission first, shuffling her dark wings so that they wormed beneath his own. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, bringing his arm up to her face and licking along the wounds sensually, her tongue careful to run along each river of blood in an attempt not to lose a single drop. "After all, that's all she is and ever will be: a bastard."

He ripped his arm from hers, setting her on the bed beside him. "Don't do this, Branwen. Not now."

She smirked at him, rolling over to lie on her stomach, bare feet dangling in the air. "And whyever not, Zane? It's not as if you've _mated_ with her," she spat the word as if it was a disgusting concept. "I can smell her all over you and this room, but not in the way that I would if you had… claimed her in the full sense of the word."

His glare was vicious as he pulled himself off the bed and rested against the wall. "Get out."

Her brow raised at the sudden defensive attitude, recognizing that putting his back to the wall meant that he was readying himself to fight her. "Oooh, looks like I struck a nerve there, Truesdale," she cooed, knowing she was hardly in any danger by "playing with fire" like she was. There was no way he would ever be able to hurt her, not when the blood of the seven sins flowed through her veins.

"I wasn't joking." He said firmly. "And who I do and don't have relations with is not of your concern."

She cocked her head, pushing herself up. "Oh?" She sauntered over, leaning in dangerously close to him, her wings cockily pulled back almost straight behind her. "But that's where, you're wrong, Truesdale," she purred, her breath huffing over his face. "You see, it is my job to make sure the demon blood stays strong, and I can't just let you go and mate with that bastard and ruin my plans, now can I?"

"I will give you one more chance, Ravenwood. Get out of here." His face was stony, jaw firm.

She smirked at him. "Why? It's not like you have your little toy to fuck with anymore, Truesdale."

His hands shook, snapping out and grabbing her by the arms. He proceeded to open the door and throw her out in a heap. "Stay out."

Atticus stood at the other end of the hallway, his eyes wide. "What the fucking hell did you do that for, Zane?" he screeched, darting over to the adorable pile of tangled-up doll-like demon on the hardwood and scooping her up into his arms.

The elder Truesdale didn't answer, instead slamming the door on them both, causing the bundle to flinch in the elder Rhodes's embrace. When he looked down at her, her ruby eyes were wide with confusion. "What did I do?" she asked in a soft voice, tentative with its loss of understanding.

* * *

><p>"Come on." Bastion said quietly. "We should go."<p>

"Do what you want, but I'm not going!" Chazz grouched, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away pointedly.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go by myself." He immediately stood, getting off the bed and moving around looking for his clothes.

Dark wings stiffened in anger at the fact that his mate would leave him so easily before the feathers smoothed out as he recalled a certain detail. "I never knew you would disobey your seme, _Misawa_."

He froze. "I...you..." A small grumbling sigh escaped his lips. "We should go. Really. You're not in heat anymore and we've already missed a few days."

"And yet, despite that, you give me no reason to leave this room," he stated, appreciatively eying the other's naked form.

Bastion chuckled, "I'll still be willing when we get back. In fact, the sooner we go, the less make-up work prohibits our encounters, the longer we can mess around."

"Yes, well, there's one thing you haven't counted on," he replied, still fixated on the other.

"Oh?"

The demon smirked, stepping forward so that he was practically on top of the other, the two mere millimeters from touching. "As seme, _I'm_ the one who tops _you _this time."

"Yeah." Bastion ground out. "But... we should go..."

"Fine," Chazz pouted, sauntering across the room to put his own clothes on. "But I'd better get some damn good sex for this, Bastion."

* * *

><p>Branwen smiled, sitting on the edge of her bed, a wing tip stirring the air beside her. Usually she would be rather depressed when she woke up, but for some reason, she was… happy. She knew something was going to happen today, something rather big, and she couldn't wait to see what would change…<p>

* * *

><p>Jaden didn't understand it. He was so hot, he couldn't quite cool down either. He sat up in his bunk, throwing his shirt on the ground as he kicked off his sheets. After a moment of thought, his pants and boxers joined the shirt, simply wanting to be rid of the heat that was causing him to pant like a dog.<p>

"Jaden?" Syrus called down sleepily, having been woken up by the excessive movement underneath his bed. "Jaden, it's two in the morning, what are you doing up?"

"So hot," the demon muttered, his wings flapping around him in an attempt to generate a draft, "so hot…"

"Jaden!" the angel cried, darting down from his perch at the sound of feathers beating the air.

"Syrus…" he groaned, green eyes lidded, cheeks flushed.

"Are you okay, Jaden?" the blue-haired boy asked, putting his hand to the brunet's forehead in an attempt to find a fever.

The demon's attention was immediately riveted on his companion, though it wasn't noticeable until he swapped their positions, pinning the smaller to the bed. "Mmm," he purred, rubbing his hips, and a growing erection, against the hips and pelvis of his captive, "Syrus…"

"Ja- Jaden?" he squeaked, trying vainly to shove off the elder.

"I'm so hot, Sy," he breathed, eyes begging for release. "Help me."

"Jaden," the angel whispered, his eyes wide as their faces grew steadily closer, "I-" Jaden was pulled from his arms before he could finish, the demon writhing in the arms of none other than Professors Crowler and Banner.

"No!" he screamed, wings thrashing, the moonlight flying over the dark feathers. "Let me go!"

"Come on, demon," Professor Crowler growled, hefting Jaden a good ways from his roommate. "You're coming to the Obelisk dorm with the rest of your kind."

"No!" the demon cried, throwing himself at his restraints even as the two larger males pulled him towards the door. "I promised Sy I wouldn't leave him, I promised!"

"I'm sorry, Jaden," Professor Banner murmured, "but you fell. You don't belong here anymore."

"NO!" he screamed, but the two yanked him out the door, slamming it behind them and locking it on poor little Syrus, who had sprung for the panicking demon.

The younger Truesdale fell to the ground, bawling his eyes out. He wanted Jaden back, no matter what had been about to happen. He just wanted Jaden back. After lying there before the wood for a long time, he finally accepted that the brunet wasn't coming back anytime soon and managed to crawl back into bed, curling up on Jaden's bunk and burying his face in the things that smelled so much like the elder. Meowing sympathetically, Pharaoh jumped up beside him and curled up underneath his arm, offering the warmth and support he craved as he cried himself to sleep once more.

* * *

><p>Syrus: ... Why am I usually the one without their mate?<p>

Bastion: *pats him on the back* Don't feel bad, Sy, she does it to me too.

Atty: *is playing uklele for musical accompanyment to the dinner*

Chazz: *appears out of nowhere* SHUT THE HELL UP! *smashes uklele and then disappears again*

Atty: O.O

Die: ... I was enjoying that...

Bastion: ... Well, Happy Kill-a-Turkey Day! Reviewers get...

Syrus: They get the opportunity to give Atty a new torture devi- I mean, uklele and thus recieve a delighted hug and song from him.

Die: *has disappeared to go find a uklele to recieve said hug*


	14. Chapter 12: Holy Reunion

Die: STUPID FANFICTION, NOT LETTING ME REPLY TO REVIEWS! *kicks computer*

Bastion: *sweatdrops*

Chazz: Die, are you okay?

Die: No, I can't reply to any reviews!

Jaden: Just do it here, we don't mind!

Die: Fine. *pouts* Thank you for the uklele, Sakura7865, I gave it to Atty as soon as I got it. Megami-kun, I'm glad you like this series so much, here is your chapter and a nice surprise...

Syrus: *looks vaguely happier* Neither Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Twelve: Holy Return<p>

Branwen yawned, her wings stretching out behind her as she pulled her blue Obelisk jacket more tightly around her slender figure. She was the head of the girls' dorm, which allowed her to wear the jacket, but she often wore it open to reveal the normal girl's uniform beneath. At her side, Atticus was stumbling around sleepily, bumping into objects and cursing them out in an undertone, which brought a smile to her lips. At one such collision with a door, however, there was a scream and a banging on it. Atticus, eyes wide, asked, "What the hell was _that?"_

Zane walked by, pausing at the sound of the screaming. He inspected the door with emotionless curiosity, tensed shoulders the only give-away that he was uncomfortable being around Branwen. "Who's in there?"

She blinked, ruby eyes shining with confusion and a slight hurt. "I don't know," she replied. "Everyone's hit their heat by now I would assume?"

He ignored the hurt in her eyes, returning to the feeling he'd had when they had been courting. The feeling that she was _always_ hiding something—and quite frankly, was rather bipolar. "As far as I know."

Suddenly, a rough shove came on her shoulders from behind her, causing her to cry out as she was pushed aside, Atticus scrambling to catch the small girl before she hit the ground again and bruised even more of her pale skin than what she already had. "Move, doll," a male snarled, dark feathers ruffling. "I heard they brought fresh meat in here last night, and I want to be the first to taste him."

Her eyes grew firm as she straightened herself, her own feathers bristling even from within Atticus's embrace. "You will do no such thing," she growled.

He snorted. "Like you're strong enough to stop me, girly."

"She may not be," Zane growled, grabbing the male's arm and yanking him back a few feet. "But _I_ am."

The demon paled. "A-All right," he stuttered nervously. The boys' dorm didn't have an official leader, but Zane was certainly powerful enough to hold the position. "I-I'm gonna g-go…" He scuttled off then, likely to inform the others that whoever it was inside the room was not to be touched.

"Thank you," Branwen murmured feverantly, a smile touching her lips even if she didn't reach out to lay her hand on his arm like she wanted to.

He sighed. "I didn't do it for you."

"No," she agreed, "but I thank you anyway." She daintily strode out of Atticus's arms, putting a hand to the brass doorknob. "Shall we?"

"I wouldn't suggest it. If they're a new demon, well..." He frowned, "We all know what the first heat is like."

She chuckled. "I'll be fine. I have you and Atty here to protect me." With that, she opened the door, striding through and letting out a gasp. "Jaden!" she cried, running over to him and crouching down beside the perky brunet.

Zane's eyebrows rose. "Holy shit..."

"Oh _Jaden_," she whispered softly, a tender smile on her face as she stroked his chocolate hair, glad that he'd somehow managed to fall asleep even during his first heat.

The elder Truesdale let out a sharp breath. "We should go. I don't want to be here when he wakes up."

"Wait," she murmured, pulling a wing around and gently extracting one of her dark feathers. "I don't want him being bothered by anyone else." Pulling a slender silver chain from a pocket of her jacket, she carefully threaded the shaft of the feather onto the chain and then set it down on the sleeping boy's chest. "I'm not abandoning any of my friends, not even if they _were _lying to me."

* * *

><p>What was left of the group had been divided. Cienna and Syrus sat back in their old seats while Bastion sat with Chazz and Zane. Cienna could feel the latter's gaze fall to her on more than one occasion, weighted and hard to carry, but there was also a kind of emptiness to it that worried her. His whole manner worried her, despite their positions. As Gabriel had said, she still loved him. She just didn't trust him. Her grip tightened around her pen, sketches of broken hearts and crying girls dug into the margins of her notes. "I hope he's ok..." she whispered to herself, throwing a look at Syrus. Poor, depressed Syrus. He looked like his whole world had been ripped away, which it might as well have been.<p>

Branwen, in the back of the room, was extremely glad no one looked back at her, not even her best friend Atticus. Her hands were fisted tightly into her ribs, almost managing to draw blood despite the two layers of fabric between her nails and her pale skin, and her entire body was tense, including the wings she had folded tightly against her back. She wanted to see everyone in the room lying there on their desks, crimson staining their skin… _No, no she didn't! _Her shoulders hunched defensively, trying to keep out her inner demons as she tried to distract herself by absently making a note in her mind to bring Syrus in to talk to Jaden or a note or something to cheer up her little blue-haired friend.

Both girls fought their demons with vigor, forcing their thoughts away from harmful ones, not a simple task for either. That is, until Professor Banner made an announcement. "Attention please! Attention! Today, we will be beginning your dancing classes." The girls all exchanged excited words, the boys, ones of exasperation. "Oh, and one more notice. We will be getting a new student today, so please make him feel welcome when he arrives."

A slow smile started on Cienna's face. "It's about damn time Aster got here."

Branwen was frightened. She did not want to lose control of herself, not so close to other people… She raised her hand, biting her lip shyly as she waited to be called on. "Yes Miss Ravenwood?"

She lowered her gaze bashfully, a little ashamed that she had to ask. "Professor Banner, sir, can we do this after lunch? I need to go back to my dorm to change my shoes." For once, she was glad that she liked wearing the strappy black sandals with the inch-and-a-half heel on them, there was no way she'd really be expected to dance in them. As perhaps one of the few clumsy demons, she was likely to fall and hurt herself if she had to dance in those.

The man smiled kindly. "Of course, Miss Ravenwood. At that, if any of you feel the need to change for this lesson, it has been approved."

There was a collective whoop from everyone in class, followed by an instant storming to the door and out of it. Branwen reached out and tapped Atticus on the shoulder, leaning forward to whisper a request into his ear. "Go take Syrus back to see Jaden," she murmured softly. "It'll calm him down to see his friend's safe and sound." Before he could reply, however, she had left.

Cienna, against her own volition, went after Zane. She grabbed him by the arm, incidentally his bad one. "Zane? Can I talk to you for a minute? Please?"

He hissed in pain but made no movement to pull away, figuring he deserved every moment of pain and agony she saw fit to give him. His wings stiffened behind him with the surge, but he made a conscious effort to fold them against his back to make himself less threatening.

Immediately noticing the reaction, her eyebrows contracted. _I didn't pull him that hard..._ She stared at his arm for a moment, pushing his sleeves up and eyeing the marks. Her words came out gentle but with an edge. "Zane. What did you do?"

"Punished myself," he answered, still putting up no resistance to her touch.

Her gaze leveled with his. "Zane... why?" She ran her fingers over the wounds gently, feather-light.

"Because I hurt _you_, **tenshi**."

She sighed. "Yeah. You did..." She ran her fingers over the wounds again, obviously holding back something. _I don't want to see you hurt. I still love you. I just... don't trust you anymore..._

"Come on, **tenshi**," he murmured softly, wishing that he could still call her _his_. "You should probably go get changed. I'm sure that if you left now, Atticus wouldn't mind taking you around to see Jaden." There. He'd dangled the metaphorical carrot in front of her in order to give her a means of escape even though he just wanted to wrap his wings around her and pull her close to him.

"Well, um..." She said quietly. "There's actually something I need to say... just to get it off my chest..."

"It's okay, **tenshi**," he murmured in reply. "You should go see Jaden. I'll still listen to you when you get back." He wasn't going to change clothes, not when he was perfectly fine to use the ones he had put on this morning. Plus, knowing Chazz, he'd want to go back and change, which meant he'd likely drag his little angel half-blood along with him.

"No." She said gently. "I need to say it now." She froze, dropping her grip on his arm. "This might be as hard for you to hear as it is for me to say..." She gulped. "But I still love you. I just... don't trust you."

His eyes widened in shock. He would have thought that she'd hate him for being weak enough to give in to his heat, but no, she still loved him. His eyes softened, and he tentatively reached out for her hand. He wanted to kiss her, but no, he had to take things slowly, earn back the trust he had lost in one stupid moment where he'd lost his self-control. "**Aishiteru***, **tenshi**," he murmured softly, daring to hope that he'd be allowed to hold her hand.

Tentatively, she placed her hand in his. "**Aishiteru**." She whispered back, running her other hand over the cuts again. "Promise me you'll never do this again." She looked up at him, eyes serious, but also worried.

He bit his lip, looking down. "I can't promise you that, **tenshi**," he whispered softly. "I won't let myself hurt you again, and if I do, I need to know that I'll be punished for it."

She tilted his chin up slightly to meet her gaze, tears starting in her eyes at the pain in his. "Zane. I don't want this for you."

"I don't either," he murmured, unable to resist leaning forward to kiss away her tears. "But pain is always the best teacher, and if that's how I have to learn how not to lose control in front of you, then I'm willing to pay that price. Just please, don't cry for me, **tenshi**. I don't deserve your tears."

Her tears came faster. "Zane, _please_. It kills me to see you hurt."

He groaned, this time throwing caution to the wind and pulling her close to him, wrapping his wings around her. "Fine, **tenshi**, I promise."

She fisted her hands into the back of his shirt, pressing her face to him, greedily inhaling his scent. Tears still slid down her cheeks as she looked back up at him. "But do you mean it?"

His expression softened, his thumb brushing away some of the tears. "Yes, **tenshi**," he murmured softly. "I mean it."

She sighed, slowly brushing her own tears away. She pulled out of his embrace and grabbed his hand, her other hand tracing the wounds on his arm one final time before she brought his arm up to her face. She placed tentative kisses to the cuts, whispering softly, "Good."

* * *

><p>Branwen nervously eyed the long drop down the stairs from the roof, her ruby eyes wide as she took in the length of the fall, clutching her books close to her chest. She knew that she had to throw herself down them, and she knew that it would hurt since the chemical demons had to turn pain into pleasure was absent from her, but she did not want to hurt someone due to her own carelessness. A breeze played with the fabric of her frilly red dress, blowing her dark hair out in front of her and making the strands dance before her.<p>

The instant he saw her, Aster knew what she was doing. _What the hell is she thinking?_ But that didn't matter, because she was about to throw herself down the stairs and he couldn't let that happen. He picked up his pace and grabbed her by the arm, gently pulling her away from the edge right as she was about to jump. "Hey," he said softly. "Don't."

"No," she whispered, struggling fiercely, dropping her books. "I have to, I have to, oh gods, I have to! People can't get hurt because of me, they can't!"

"No, shh." He soothed gently. "No one's going to get hurt. I'll keep you safe. I promise it'll be okay."

"I'm not worried about _me_," she spat, opening her midnight wings, small as they were, to try to push him away. "I just don't want someone else to get hurt because of my darker side!"

He shook his head. "Well don't throw yourself over the edge for it." He was quiet, gentle. "It would be a shame to see such a beautiful, sweet girl lost."

"I'm not beautiful or sweet," she murmured, all the fight leaving her. "I'm a monster, a horrible monster who hurts everyone around her without even knowing it."

He shook his head again, gently pulling her closer to him. "You are indeed beautiful. But I assure you, you will be all right. As will those around you."

She laughed softly and humorlessly, not quite finding it in her to fight him. "You know not of the curse I bear, do you?"

"I don't." He replied honestly. "But every curse can be broken."

"Not mine," she whispered forlornly, stepping out of his embrace and towards the stairs, not bothering to gather her books. "It is the curse of my family to weed out the weak by replacing it with the strong. I am weak, thus I will be replaced." She paused, her face turned from him, one hand on the railing. "And no one will mourn me when I am gone." And with that, she was gone, it being too late to bother trying to get out of dancing now.

Aster stared after her for a moment in blank shock before realizing he should probably get to class, himself. And so he set about finding the gym.

* * *

><p>Chazz fluffed his wings out in the mirror, trying to make himself look bigger, but he sighed, letting the dark feathers droop. He and Bastion were close to the same height, but there was absolutely no way the teachers would let <em>him <em>lead instead of the angelic male. He was just too slight for that.

Bastion stepped up beside him. "Something bothering you?"

He shook his head, firming his jaw and folding his wings against his back. He did not want to tell the angel yet, and so he would pretend he was whole for just a little longer, be selfish for a spell before it all went away and he was left alone again.

"You're sure?" The angel asked softly, setting a hand on the demon's arm.

Chazz nimbly sidestepped the question, instead brusquely taking the other's hand. "Come on, Bastion," he growled, though it was obvious he didn't mean anything by it. "We have a class to get to."

* * *

><p>Cienna grinned. Clad in a pair of boot-cut hip-huggers and an off-the-shoulder blouse, she felt much more like herself. Of course, being able to wear her high-heels may have had something to do with that. Syrus trailed depressedly behind her, not really giving a damn, and while that worried her, they were <em>dancing<em>. And she loved dancing.

In the gym, Branwen stood alone, her arms up as if wrapped around someone as she hummed a slow waltz, her ruby eyes closed as she slowly spun in a circle, her bare feet moving gracefully over the wood floor. She knew all the slow dances, the ballroom dances, and she was just performing one of her favorites the only way she knew without hurting someone. She was herself when she danced alone. So long as she was alone and had something to focus on, she was herself. Keeping time in her head so that she knew when to put her feet where along with humming the music she'd learned to kept her mind busy and occupied. An idle mind really was the devil's work for her.

Cienna approached the female demon. "Hey Branwen." The blonde offered a cheery smile.

The black-haired girl merely nodded in acknowledgement, continuing her dance.

Watching the other girl's steps curiously, her eyes twinkled with laughter. "That's quite the ballroom mix you're doing."

"It's all I was taught as a child," she answered simply, the frills of her red dress making her look almost like she was back in a stately mansion dancing with the guests to an upscale banquet.

"You're really good." Cienna replied. "And that dress looks really good on you." She spied Zane out of the corner of her eye, unsure of whether she wanted to go talk to him or stay where she was. She decided to stay for the moment, but if he chose to approach her she wouldn't protest.

"It's all a matter of timing and memorization," she stated with a touch of amusement in her voice. "Anyone could learn to dance as well as I could if they had enough time and practice, plus I had an excellent teacher." _It also didn't hurt that I was whipped every time I made a misstep or forgot to keep time properly…_

"Believe me I know how that goes. When I started off in ballet, I was the worst one because I couldn't keep the timing. By the end of the second month, I could keep time like nobody's business." She grinned. "But then, I was four..."

"By the time I was four, I was attending family functions. I was expected to keep quiet and out of the way, yet to show my face, act polite to everyone, and dance flawlessly with anyone who asked me." The monotone of her voice spoke of her acceptance of the fact, as though she considered it normal, which in fact she did. She did not know any other life than the servitude to her family. "By the time I was six, I was skilled in the art of painting and singing. By the time I was eight, I was taught how to mix poisons that worked without detection and how to use a sword. By the age of ten, I had surpassed my masters on the subjects."

Cienna froze. "Wow. That's a lot of pressure for a kid..." _Thank God Father decided not to put me and Sylvia in the public eye... that would've been torture!_

"It is no more and no less than what I deserved." She spun to a stop, frowning softly as her dress fabric attempted to tangle up her slender, pale legs. "No, that was not right," she murmured to herself. She had faltered for just a second, thinking about gentle blue eyes, and that had thrown her concentration off in a way she had not had to put up with since her seventh birthday party and her instructor, a year or two older, had asked her to feel the music rather than count it. "Now I must begin all over again."

Cienna offered a saddened smile, suddenly seeing something in Branwen that she hadn't before. She saw something that she'd come to find in most people of the art: pain through a home-based source. With a small sigh, she apologized. "I should probably go check on Syrus." She cast a look at the forlorn angel, who had stood a few feet away from his brother.

Branwen merely nodded. She was mad that Atticus had not brought the younger Truesdale to see Jaden, but she could do nothing about it, not when her anger would only result in her hurting him. She had to wait until her darkness was sleeping, then she could tell him. It was a waiting game she'd played all her life, and one she was well-used to.

With that, Cienna moved lithely towards the two Truesdales, stopping first at the younger's side. "Hey Syrus," she said gently. "How ya holding up?"

The blue-haired boy sniffled, his wings drooping. "I miss him," he whispered softly. He'd dropped a lot of his pristine feathers, making his wings look choppy and a lot smaller as the new feathers grew in.

"I know." She said softly, "But you'll see him sooner than you think."

"I can't even do _magic_ anymore, Ci," he murmured. "I'll close my eyes and try really hard, but it's just like… I'm blocked."

"Oh Sweetheart..." She whispered, unsure of whether it was all right to hug him or not. "I'm so sorry."

He didn't answer her, trembling hard enough to shed a couple more feathers, but when his hands started to reach out for the growing down, Zane reached out and wrapped his hands around his younger brother's wrist. "Stop it, Syrus," he murmured softly, for once soothing towards the smaller. "Don't do that." Demons would rip their own feathers out for numerous stress-related reasons, but for an angel to do so, their emotions must have been not only extremely low but also haywire. "If you keep pulling them out, they'll take that much longer to grow back."

Cienna threw Zane a thankful look, wrapping a gentle arm around the shaking boy's shoulder. "It's all right, darling. I'll sneak you in to see him if you want."

"Yeah, but I want him now!"

"HAVE NO FEAR, JADENMAN IS HERE!"

Cienna looked up, grinning at the brunet. "Kiddo!" She cheered. "It's good to see you!"

"JADEN!" Syrus cried, throwing himself into the other's arms and practically bawling. His wings, battered as they were, came up to hold the other closer as he ignored the slight flares of pain from the action.

Cienna watched them with a grin as Jaden wrapped his wings around the smaller boy, holding him close and burying his face in the sky-blue hair. The blonde's hand reached out for Zane's. "They're so cute together..." She murmured.

The other brunet demon bounced between them, grinning wildly. "I know, right?" he chirped happily, completely ignorant of what he'd just interrupted.

"Atticus," Zane growled, wings bristling slightly, "if you don't chose who you want to stand next to in the next three seconds, I will personally make that choice for you."

"But I wanna stand next to both of you!" the Rhodes whined childishly.

"Move. Now." Zane's tone broached no arguments.

Cienna laughed softly, pulling the bouncing demon to her other side. She slid her hand back into Zane's, leaning against him slightly in apology for the other demon's interruption. She just barely ran her fingers over where the wounds in his arm were, whispering gently. "Calm down Zane." He relaxed, draping a wing around her shoulder.

From across the room, Branwen gave a bittersweet smile, still effortlessly following through the steps. She liked that everyone was happy, but yet, she hated that she was alone. Once again, soft blue eyes crossed her vision, causing her to stumble. She frowned, biting the inside of her cheek and instead twirling herself in a stunning display that covered up the fault to any save those who knew her intimately.

"Attention!" Professor Banner called. "We will be starting in five minutes! Find your partners!"

Cienna squeezed Zane's hand, smiling up at him. "Have you done ballroom before?" Meanwhile, Jaden gripped Syrus's wrist, giving him a content smile.

He smiled softly at her. "But of course. I was the one who taught Branwen."

Professor Banner glared at Branwen, who was still humming the waltz. "And that includes you, Miss Ravenwood. You must have a partner, no matter how well you may already know your footwork."

She ignored him, instead adding a bridge and twirling herself, lost in the movement of the counting she did in her head and the music she hummed of her own accord. So long as she stayed in this state, she could keep Jaden's heat firmly at bay and resist the urge to throttle poor Atticus for bringing the younger brunet here…

The room was abuzz with people pairing themselves up, guys pairing up with girls if they could and if not, with the other guys that would be least awkward to dance with. And right as everyone had been partnered—with the exception of Branwen, who had been counting on Atticus—and the music was beginning, another figure stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Er, Professor Banner?"

The man turned towards the voice, prepared to huff at the student until he saw who it was. "Mister Phoenix. It's wonderful to see you."

"Likewise." The silveret replied. "Are there any partners left?"

Banner scanned the crowd of students, coming up empty until he laid eyes on Branwen. "Miss Ravenwood is still available." He pointed to her.

Aster couldn't help but note that the fates had a sense of humor. All the more proving, he saw Cienna smiling up at a teal-headed boy, completely ignorant of his arrival. And with that in mind, he made his way through the crowd and to Branwen's side. "Hello."

The soft voice startled her completely out of her waltz, her wings flying out in order to catch herself. Her ruby eyes were wide as she stared at the boy who had took up so much of her time today. "You," she whispered softly, unable to believe it. She had only rarely missed a step in her entire time as a proper child, and not only had she made a mistake twice today because of him, but she had also completely lost her rhythm and timing just by hearing his voice. Subconsciously, her fingers began digging into her palm, her mind telling her that she was to feel some sort of pain for such a mistake.

"Me." He replied with a small grin, offering his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Did he not know what he was doing to her, sauntering into her life and throwing her off so completely? Her nails drew blood and she hissed, wings flinching slightly as she pulled her hand up to examine the wounds. She knew she was being rude by ignoring him, but considering what chaos he was wrecking in her mind, not the mention to reek of holiness that he exuded, she felt justified in the action.

He waited patiently, hand still outstretched. "Miss Ravenwood?"

A shove from behind had her falling into his arms. She threw a glare over her shoulder, but a grinning Atticus had already waltzed away out of retaliation range, Alexis in tow. It was then that she realized something important. The darkness in her heart was quiet. Not the quiet it would get into when it was planning something but rather the quiet like it wasn't even there. She couldn't have done it herself, her own anger at Atticus would have fed the darkness, but the only new addition in her life was… Wide ruby eyes turned to meet the sapphire ones before her.

"Is that a yes?" He grinned.

"Yes," she murmured shyly, looking down at the leaking crimson on her hand. It felt so much more silent in her head now, but even with the lessened need for concentration, she still thought it unlikely she could manage to dance again, not when he was so close to her and disturbing her concentration.

He aligned their hands correctly, one of his falling to her waist and her hand, and offered a pleasant smile. "So, Miss Ravenwood, do you have a first name?"

"Branwen," she answered softly, surprised at how comforting his warmth was. "My name is Branwen." She hoped he kept talking, if only so she didn't feel so isolated. If he didn't, she would have to start counting aloud, something she hadn't done even in her learning days, just to break the deafening silence she was wrapped in.

The smile never left. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Incredibly fitting."

She blushed, looking down. She had been told she was beautiful before, but those were just by males who wanted something from her. He, however, made her feel like he meant it. "Thank you. It means 'beautiful raven'."

The never-ending smile remained as they continued to walk through the steps of the dance. "Fitting as well," he noted, bringing his hand up from her waist to twirl a strand of her dark hair.

Her flush turned a little darker. "Thank you." She blinked then, cocking her head to one side. "You want to step left next, not right," she murmured softly, having seen how his muscles were tensing already in preparation of the movement. "That way, the spin carries less tension and is easier to accomplish." She wasn't being rude correcting him, she was just pointing out something Zane had taught her since it was always so dangerous for her to dance with her clumsiness. What surprised her, though, was how easily the dance came to her despite the fact that she wasn't even counting anymore...

* * *

><p>*- Aishiteru means 'I love you'.<p>

* * *

><p>Atty: Yay, I'm helpful!<p>

Aster: ... You made me a regular casanova.

Die: YEP!

Aster: ... Usually people neglect me...

Die: Yeah, but you're cute! *hugs him*

Atty: I WANT IN ON THE HUG TOO! *glomps Die and Aster*

Zane: ... Reviews will be rewarded with a slow dance with a character of your choice.

Atty: Aster, why aren't you hugging back?

Die: Yeah, Ashy, hug back!

Aster: Oh what the heck... *hugs them back*

Zane: *leaves before he gets roped into the insanity too*


	15. Chapter 13: Holy Trust

Die: ... I'm bored.

Zane: ... I don't care.

Die: *throws something at him* Meanie!

Jaden: Yeah, be nice to Die!

Zane: *throws object back at Die intending for her to catch it*

Die: *yelps as she gets hit* THIS MEANS WAR! *begins throwing things at Zane*

Jaden: *follows suit with maniacal gleam in his eyes*

Syrus: *sighs* Neither of the two authors own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirteen: Holy Trust<p>

Cienna, sort of familiar with the steps, still faltered a bit when she tried the waltz. It admittedly wasn't her favorite style of dance, but nonetheless, she grimaced, frustrated with herself. "Dammit..."

"Relax," Zane soothed gently. "Just let me lead."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders to release the tension. "Right. Let you lead." _Hard thing to do when I still don't trust you... ugh. No. Don't go there. Just relax._ She closed her eyes and followed his lead, immediately becoming less uncoordinated.

"Good girl, **tenshi**," he praised gently, twirling her with a protective glint in his eye.

She laughed as she stepped back into his arms, "You make it sound like I'm a puppy you're potty-training."

He chuckled. "You know, I never had a dog growing up, though Syrus was always begging for one."

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in surprise. At the shake of his head, she sighed. "That's it. You guys are coming to my house this summer. We have three."

He smiled softly. "I'd like that."

* * *

><p>It was official. Jaden was hopeless at leading—even dancing at that. He was stepping on Syrus's toes like they were cockroaches under his feet. "Sorry Sy!" He yelped after stepping on the smaller boy's toes for the tenth time in the past three minutes.<p>

"Jaden," the blue-haired boy murmured, "shut up."

The brunette nodded mutely, turning his attention back to the steps. Not even thirty seconds later, holding down an apology, he stepped on Syrus's toes. He bit his lip.

Across the room, Gabriel rolled his eyes, looking to Lucifer, who was watching his own pair with a proud gaze. Figuring that Branwen and Aster were getting along well enough, the angelic soul strode across the room, materializing next to his demonic lover. "Shall we help them?" he asked in a quiet voice.

The demon grinned. "It does look like they need it..."

With that, Jaden's steps became surer, more confident, and managed to avoid Syrus's toes. Gabriel let out a contended smile, offering his hand to Lucifer. "Shall we?"

He smiled. "We shall."

* * *

><p>Chazz could feel the time in the music growing nearer, the time when he would have to place all his trust in Bastion not to drop him as the larger male dipped him. His muscles were tense, his movements stiff even if they were correct, and a very fine trembling took over him. He knew Bastion was his mate and he knew the other was a kind soul and would likely not even remotely think of dropping him, but oh gods he was just so wary. He'd been hurt far too often not to be.<p>

Bastion took note of the hesitance, offering a gentle smile as a remedy.

Finally, that moment in the music came, and Chazz felt himself being gently leaned back. His panic appeared in his eyes, so he was glad that Bastion did not go far, instead holding a smaller dip and then gently pulling him back to the comfort and control of upright. Professor Banner noticed this, and he said, "Misawa, Princeton, do that last bit again, this time with a _proper _dip!" The demon's whole body tensed tightly at the words, his fingers tightening their grip on Bastion's hand and the back of the angel's neck.

Bastion smiled reassuringly, tightening his grip on the demon as he dipped him back "properly." The dip was far and slow, but the angel's grip was never lost. He pulled the smaller back into an upright position, gently setting his feet back where they were safe.

Chazz was trembling at that point, clinging close to Bastion and trying desperately to fight back tears. Branwen, who was nearby, gently pulled Aster to a stop and reached out to pat the black-haired demon's head softly in understanding. She'd had years to learn to control her fear, she'd had to for all the banquets and such, but the other demon had never needed to learn, thus why it was such a bad experience for him.

Bastion held the trembling demon in his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "It's all right, Chazz. I've got you. You're safe."

Branwen bit her lip, debating. She knew Chazz would prefer to be shielded by wings, even if they were her own rather than Bastion's, but she also knew he'd firmly deny it if she requested it of the angel. She would have simply spread her black wings herself except that she would have had to relinquish her grip on the hand of Aster behind her, which would make her dark side come back and likely do horrible things to everyone.

As if reading her mind, or maybe because he'd come to understand the demon so well, the angel shrouded his soulmate in his wings, shielding him from the rest of the class. Chazz welcomed the adjustment, feeling so much more secure now that his upper body was protected.

Branwen smiled softly at the sight, glad to see that Bastion had such large wings for a half-angel, and turned back to Aster, blinking soft ruby eyes at him. "You know," she murmured softly, glad that Professor Banner had decided to end the lesson after that one session with Chazz, "I never did catch your name."

He grinned. "Aster Phoenix."

Her wings drooped in disappointment. "Oh." Aster Phoenix was a name she recognized. How could someone _not_ know the angel who had completed so many dangerous things at such a tender young age, the one who managed to defeat numerous other, older angels in their usual duels? She had grown rather fond of him, if only because he made her feel special and quieted the dark voice in her head, and was sad to see that he wasn't even a potential mate. She hadn't seen his wings, but she'd dared to hope that he would be a demon, if only so that she could try to seize control of her own destiny by choosing her own mate.

He slid a finger under her chin, tipping her head up to look at him. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and gave him a shy smile, drawing on all her acting experience for those thrice-damned banquets and social events she'd been forced to attend. "Why would it be?" she asked softly.

A soft—if minorly unconvinced—smile crossed his face. "No idea."

Cienna appeared out of nowhere, having abandoned Zane as soon as she noticed Aster, throwing her arms around her old friend's neck and knocking him off a few steps. She giggled, "Hey Ash!"

That action was not good. Across the room, Zane stiffened angrily, worried about where Cienna's affections lay and even a little jealous at the way she'd abandoned him for this new boy. Jaden held Syrus close to him in a rather protective fashion, the blue-haired boy curious but obviously reluctant to fight the brunet demon, who was merely reacting to the name he'd overheard earlier and the dangerous auras he could sense. Branwen, whose slender form Aster kept his eyes on over Cienna's head, remained locked in place, her pupils dilated as she warred with herself for a short moment before, at Atticus's concerned touch, she sprinted off in a flurry of black feathers and red silk. "Cienna," the silveret murmured, torn between wanting to run after the demon girl and catching up with his old friend.

She froze as she registered his tone, throwing a look over her shoulder. Her gaze was concerned as it returned, knowing him better than anyone what this probably meant. "You could go after her if you want. I can wait." She smiled prettily. "But if you go, you have to come find me before dinner. There's a lot to catch up on and it will _not_ fit into one meal."

He chuckled, extracting himself from her embrace. "I think that would be the wisest idea, considering the glare that demon you were dancing with earlier is giving me." He gave her a half wave, shoving his other hand into his pocket. "Later Ci."

* * *

><p>Branwen buried her head in her kness, her ruby eyes forced shut as she recited the Fibonacci sequence to try to distract herself. "1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21," she muttered, focusing harder. The higher she got numerically, the easier it would be to keep herself sane and in control. "34, 55, 89, 144, 233."<p>

"Branwen?" He was quiet, approaching her slowly as if worried of her reaction.

_Kill_, a voice whispered in her head, _time to kill him_…

"NO!" she yelled, throwing herself forward into his arms, sobbing.

He pulled her closer, sitting down with his back against the wall and rocking her gently in his lap. He pet her hair soothingly, "It's all right, darling. I've got you. It's all right."

She calmed down a little, her wings moving towards him before they stopped, remembering that he could never be hers and retreating back behind her again, instead sniffling gently and hiding her face in his chest.

He held her close. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," she whispered, deciding to go with the concern most would be crying over rather than the one that made her so depressed.

"Of what?" He asked quietly, brushing the hair from her face.

"Myself, of waking up to find my friends lying dead around me, my family, of the cold darkness that lurks in my heart." She shrugged, trying to act like she didn't really care. "Take your pick."

He looked surprised but was still comforting. "Wanna tell me about it?"

She shook her head, fisting her hands in his suit jacket. "Just… stay with me. When you're here, _it's_ not."

"Sure." He said gently, pulling her head under his chin and positioning her more comfortably on his lap. "Whatever you need, Branwen."

* * *

><p>"Who was that?" Zane growled, barely able to control himself from simply yanking her into his arms and hiding her behind his wings so that she couldn't leave him.<p>

"Aster Phoenix." Cienna replied with a fond smile, immediately slipping her hand into his.

That tore it. He yanked her close then, his arms closing around her possessively, eyes narrowed fiercely as a low growl escaped his throat. His horns would have come out too except that she was so close to him and he didn't want to hurt her in a careless mistake.

She looked up at him in surprise, eyes ridiculously wide. "Zane?"

"You're _mine_," he hissed darkly, reminding her rather of Jaden when he thought his position with Syrus was threatened in even the most remote way.

She chuckled quietly. "Of course I am, Zane. But he's my best friend. I'm going to hug him."

His arms tightened pointedly. "Yes, but no one else sees it that way."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously, not wanting to agitate him more, but totally clueless of what was going on.

He sighed. "When a demon decides to court another, the dominant one in homosexual relationships or the male in the heterosexual ones will drive away all other potential mates in the area. As such, allowing you to remain close to your two male friends is a rather generous concession on my part, but I stopped myself from doing anything about it because the two are my little brother and his love interest, not to mention gay. Aster, however, is not, and as such, my entire being is telling me to drive him off in order to protect my claim on you, even if it is rather pre-emptive."

"He's not a threat." She said seriously. "He's my best friend. Nothing else. I promise."

"Yeah, well, try telling that to my instincts," he grumbled. "Until one of us mates, I'm going to have to resist the urge to kick him right in his pretty-boy face."

She gave him a stern look. "Don't even _think_ about it Zane. He's been there for me since I was a kid."

"Too late for that," he groaned, closing his eyes. "If he doesn't find someone to court before I have to see him again, whatever harm I may do to him will be on _your _head."

She sighed, pressing herself closer to him. "_Zane_."

His wings wrapped around her at their closeness, his whole body wishing he could steal a kiss from her lips. He knew he couldn't mate with her, not now, but surely a kiss would be all right? No, she had told him she didn't trust him anymore, he had to regain that feeling, and that meant letting her make all the moves. "Yes, **tenshi**?"

"I just... don't want you to hurt him." She said quietly.

He sighed. "Very well, **tenshi**. I'll try to restrain myself for your sake."

She smiled softly, standing on the tips of her toes and pressing a small, gentle kiss to his mouth. "Thank you." She said quietly.

He couldn't contain a soft smile himself, elated that she'd bestowed upon him the very thing he'd wanted most from her right then. "Anytime, **tenshi**. Just as you are mine, so am I yours."

* * *

><p>Jaden didn't want the heat to be back, he didn't, but he could feel it creeping up on him, the same way it had left him when he was around Branwen. He whimpered softly, burying his face in Syrus's hair.<p>

"Jay?" He asked gently, wrapping his arms around his soulmate.

"I'm so hot, Syrus," he whispered, "So hot…"

Realization instantly smacked Syrus in the face. "Jaden..."

"Syrus," the brunet crooned softly, cuddling up to the smaller.

"It's not that I _want_ you to leave, but..." He paused. "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to stay..."

Zane saw the two of them and instantly realized what was going on. "Cienna, Atticus," he called, getting the attention of the two of them, "go find Branwen. She needs to clean up some of the mess she made."

Cienna threw a look at the perky brunet demon. "C'mon, Aster went that way."

Atticus looked positively gleeful. "Yay, another romantic scene to destroy!" he announced, skipping off happily.

She rolled her eyes, groaning. "I guess I'd better follow him." And so she took off after him.

* * *

><p>Branwen's wings drooped tiredly, her head resting against Aster's chest. She was exhausted, and now that she didn't have to fight, she saw little reason to remain awake, even if he <em>was<em> petting her hair rather soothingly.

Aster was gentle, cuddling her a bit snugger to his chest. "Sleep, sweetheart."

She wriggled so that her head was up in the crook of his neck, her wings wrapping around them both. "But I can't. I need to get back to my room… and there's something else I have to do, something important…"

"It can't wait?" He asked quietly, running his fingers through her hair. But before she could answer, the blonde half-breed came skidding into sight with the perky brunet demon close behind.

"Sorry guys." She said quietly. "But Jaden's going back into heat..."

"Yep, that was it," the black-haired girl sighed, pushing herself to her feet. "Shall we?"

"You want me to come with you?" He looked mildly taken aback.

"Of course," she replied. "Atticus is fun, but, no offence Atty, he's rather a bit on the… eccentric side of life."

"_Love imposes impossible tasks/ parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme/ though never more than your own heart asks/ and I must know you're a true love of mine_," he crooned, beaming at them all after his rendition.

Cienna stared at Atticus in surprise for a moment before shaking her head. "Umm... right. Well, does anyone else think we should go get Jaden?"

"Atty, you're scaring them," Branwen scolded softly. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, he just loves that poem 'Scarsborough Fair'. Anyway, yes, I do believe we should go, preferably before Jaden rapes someone, rape is very common when a demon is in heat, and not always with the one they want as a mate, though if the person fights, they'll generally move on and only push the matter if it's their soulmate."

Cienna's thoughts immediately drifted to Zane—the remorse he'd had the morning after when compared to the way he'd _attacked_ her while in heat. She bit her lip, reaching up to fiddle with the piercings on her ear as she thought. "R-right." She stuttered. "Well then let's haul some ass."

Branwen nodded, leaning in close to Aster. "No matter what happens," she breathed into his ear, "don't let your hand leave me." _I'm afraid of what I'll become otherwise._

"No problem." He whispered back, giving her a big grin.

* * *

><p>Jaden was panting, his tongue running along Syrus's neck when Zane pulled him off. The brunet growled, his wings thrashing dangerously as he desperately tried to break free. "Stop it, you stupid Slipher," the elder Truesdale hissed, trying to ignore the buffeting, "I'm trying to help you."<p>

Syrus backed away, looking a little bit scared. "P-please don't hurt him, Zane." He stuttered, wringing his hands worriedly.

Branwen appeared then, flitting over with Aster's hand clutched in her own. "Oh, thank you Zane," she murmured, leaning in close to Jaden. "If you hadn't grabbed him, it would have been so much harder to do this." She pressed her forehead to his, forcing him to still his movements and lock his green eyes on her ruby ones. Then, with a sudden motion, she flicked her wings towards to him and danced away, letting the wind she'd stirred from her wings bring him to his senses.

Cienna watched curiously as the brunet returned to his normal self, apology instantly roaring over his face as Zane let go of him. "I'm sorry Sy!"

"It's okay." The sky-headed boy said quietly, opening his arms. "Just come here." Jaden immediately walked into the embrace, burying his face in the other boy's locks.

The blonde girl walked over to Zane, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face into his chest, sighing quietly. He wrapped his own arms and wings around her, his gaze firmly affixed to Aster in a warning.

For once, Branwen didn't feel lonely being in a crowd of couples. The warm hand resting in her own prevented that. She looked down at their conjoined hands, smiling softly and fondly.

Aster smiled at her, squeezing her hand softly. "Is it always like this?"

"Is what always like what?" she asked in reply.

"Are things always this hectic?" He clarified.

She looked up at him, her eyes soft as she gazed into his sapphire eyes. "With them, perhaps. I'm not good enough friends with them to know for certain, though it has been since I've met them. For me, not this kind of hectic exactly, but yes, it is rather… strange."

"Interesting." He said absently, brushing a strand of her from over her eyes with their linked hands.

Atticus came over then, noticing how her wings sagged ever so slightly. "Come on, Wren, time for you to get to bed," he scolded softly, well aware he had to take on a more parental role at times with the black-haired girl in order to get her to bed on time. Often, if he did not hustle her to bed, more often than not curling up in his with him rather than her own, she would remain awake, working on endless school concepts and educational endeavors. She memorized entire plays, read collections of novels, looked at every possible critique for a certain piece of artwork, learned the exact notes for a song in every key, and for no more reason than simply that she was "bored".

Aster smiled at her, bringing their hands up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to hers. "Until tomorrow, Branwen."

She blushed but frowned, looking down. She wanted to stay with him, if only so that she would not hurt anyone, or at least that's what she tried telling herself. In fact, she was entranced by the angel and would have willingly strode into the gates of her mansion home if she knew he were there, which was saying a lot considering her past. She, however, was far too polite to vocalize it. "Good night then, my hero."

He grinned at that, watching her leave before turning to Cienna. "You send you wanted to talk?"

"Yep." She smiled softly, turning to Zane. "I'll come to your dorm when I'm done, okay?"

Zane growled in an undertone. "Only if you're wearing my feather," he whispered into her ear, his breath huffing over the shell.

She shivered, shaky hand reaching into the collar of her uniform and pulling a chain from under the top. The feather dangled from it, hanging across her chest. "It's right here." She grinned softly, standing on her toes and pressing her lips to his.

He instantly responded with a groan, delighted she was treasuring the physical symbol of his affection. "Good," he murmured when they parted, panting softly. "Keep it out."

"Will do." She whispered quietly, breathing a little heavily herself. She turned as fast as she could and grabbed Aster by the arm. "C'mon, pretty-boy. Lots to talk about."

Aster knew better than to protest as she dragged him away. Jaden, however, watched the process with confused and pitying eyes. "_I'm _the one who just got taken away to be an Obelisk, and _he's _the one she drags off? Still, better him than me."

Zane snorted at that, stomping off moodily to go think, otherwise known as sulk, at his lighthouse. Syrus sighed, clinging close to Jaden's arm. "Come on, Jay," he murmured softly. "Let's go get something to eat."

"FOOD!" the brunet cried, running off with Syrus trailing behind him. Nothing perked Jaden up quite like the idea of food did…

* * *

><p>Cienna sighed, plopping down on the beach and throwing her best friend a lopsided grin. Her hand rose to the feather around her neck, absently fiddling with it "So where do you want me to start?"<p>

"Wherever you feel it best to, Cienna." He sat too, but his gaze was fixated on a single black feather he'd found in the gym, likely from when Branwen had fled. It smelled of her, like oranges and vanilla, and since she was the only female with feathers of this length, it could only have been hers.

She laughed softly, watching him for a moment before beginning. "I guess Zane is the best start. Zane Truesdale. Demon. My soulmate. He... Well... We..." She flushed both from embarrassment and frustration. "He was in heat... and then he wasn't. He was normal sweet Zane but when I got back he..." she sighed. "This makes absolutely no sense to you, I'm sure."

"Actually," he murmured softly, still focused on the feather, "it makes more sense to me than it does to you right now."

"Then please," she said quietly. "Explain."

"Well," the silver-haired boy stated, "there's been some rumors flying around that the really powerful demons, the ones who have blood ties to the seven sins themselves, can stop a demon's heat in its tracks." He shrugged, averting his eyes. "I don't know if it's true, but judging by the way Branwen knocked Jaden right out of whatever was happening to him, it's likely she can do it in reverse too."

"But _why_?" Cienna hissed. "Why would she do that?"

His jaw tightened. "I don't think it was her who did it. I may not know her all too well, but from what I've seen, she wouldn't have been capable of something so malicious."

She sighed. "I wasn't trying to accuse her. I know how sweet Branwen is. I just... whoever did it really screwed things up with me and Zane."

"I don't know," he replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, "I'm pretty sure he's still interested."

She shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up Aster. I know he's still interested. It's me with the problem."

"How so? He seems pretty sorry for what he's done."

"He _is_." She said, running a hand through her hair. "But... I'm just not sure I wanted to do... what we did. I feel like I can't trust him."

He was quiet for a long moment, staring at the feather in his hand, until he managed to turn teasing sapphire eyes back on her. "You do realize you're being _very _damn picky, right?"

Unoffended—she'd heard this kind of thing from him before—she merely looked curious. "What do you mean?"

"Zane Truesdale is an _extremely _good catch," he stated. "There are whispers about him even among angels about how strong and well-suited he would be for a mate. He's managed to gather just as much of a fanbase as I have. Since he obviously hasn't treated you badly, it was more of a mistake on his part if my sources are correct, what's keeping you from him now?" Seeing her open her mouth, he held up his free hand. "And don't tell me it's not because you don't trust him, because if you didn't, you wouldn't have been so close to him today."

She stared down at the sand under her, grabbing a handful of sand and watching it run out of her hand. "He's my soulmate. I'm not supposed to doubt him. But... I do."

Aster groaned. He really didn't want to do this, but he reached out and slapped her across the cheek. "Cienna Oliver, you go right back up that cliff and go make up with him this instant. If you don't figure this out now, it'll only get worse, and then you could lose the very thing you're supposed to treasure the most." His sapphire eyes burned with a passion, obviously uncomfortably familiar with this kind of hurt.

Eyes wide in shock, her hand raised to her cheek. "What the hell, Aster?"

"You heard me."

She clenched her jaw. "You ass."

He chuckled unrepentantly. "Yep, the ass who tried to make you see sense, that's me!"

A small voice appeared in the back of her head in the form of Syrus. _He's your best friend, Cienna. He's not trying to hurt you_. Angrily, she tried to push the voice away, glaring at the sand. It was stubborn though, refusing to leave until she saw sense, repeating itself. With a frustrated growl, she pushed herself to her feet, admitting defeat. "You're probably right."

He smirked. "I usually am, now go. I can wait until you're done making up."

She rolled her eyes but pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, Pretty-boy." She took off running, knowing that she needed to fix things with Zane. If only because she loved him.

* * *

><p>Chazz: ... Remind me why we do this again.<p>

Bastion: Because if we didn't, she'd only make it worse.

Aster: And because if we didn't show up, she'd hunt us down anyway.

Chazz: ... Good point.

Aster: Hey, where is Die?

Bastion: *pushes open a door to show Die and Atticus sleeping beside each other cutely*

Chazz: ... *takes picture* BLACKMAIL!

Aster: Review and we'll give you some of this lovely blackmail!

Bastion: *sighs but doesn't bother to restrain them because he knows better*


	16. Chapter 14: Holy Submission

Die: ... Happy Holidays everyone!

Jaden: Here's your present!

Atticus: You're welcome!

Syrus: *sigh* Cali's not really helpful... and of course, the reply feature is still down, so we'll have to send you all review replies later...

Aster: Neither Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Fourteen: Holy Submission<p>

Chazz finally came out the small, personal hell he'd ventured back into with Branwen's touch to the soothing feeling of Bastion's white feathers brushing against his in a comforting manner. He stirred under the feel of gentle fingers skating through his dark hair, pushing himself up on his elbows so that he could meet the other angel's slate eyes. Bastion gave him a crooked smile. "Come back to join the Land of the Living now have you, love?"

The demon blushed lightly. "Shut up," he growled, his wings flexing with each feather spreading individually before he realized that his jacket and his black undershirt were missing, but considering that the angel's were as well, he could live with it, especially since it gave him access to all this lovely flesh that he leaned down to start nipping along the protrusion of a collarbone.

Bastion let out a groan at the action, tipping his head back to give the demon better access. The attention felt very good to him, and he couldn't deny that gentle flicker of affection that ran through him. He didn't want to give himself to the other, but he trusted Chazz with everything he had to give, so he would not protest the wandering spidery hands as they scuttled over his stomach down towards his belt. The Ra fully expected the Obelisk to whip his belt out rather like a snake, but instead, the other male merely undid the buckle and then pulled it down his body. "Impatient, aren't we?" he teased in a husky voice, caressing the pale forearm he could reach first to reassure the other of his pure intentions.

The demon smirked, licking at his fingers in order to start gaining himself some lubrication. Sure, he may have liked being taken dry since it gave him a "closer" bond and his body turned pain into pleasure, as it would for most demons, but he also recognized that not everyone did. "Oh be quiet, Bastion," he purred. "You know you want this just as much as I do."

The fabric of Chazz's pants unnerved him slightly, rubbing against his bare legs, but he didn't let it frighten him, instead focusing his gaze on the other's half-lidded obsidian eyes, letting himself be drawn into the twin black holes. The Princeton, deeming his partner sufficiently relaxed, snuck his finger into Bastion's ass, gaining himself wide gray eyes and a strange look. "Relax, angel," the demon soothed gently, his free hand massages circles onto the other's thigh even as he leaned down to plant kisses over the steadily-beating heart. "It'll only get better if you just calm down, trust me."

And Bastion did. The soft fire burning in those handsome obsidian eyes could no more betray him than dance and movement of his trusty formulas. That was why he snatched up the other's wrist and pulled the hand to his face, lavishing gentle kisses on the easiest part of his lover to reach. "Always," he whispered huskily, pressing his lips to the pale fingertips before him.

Chazz couldn't contain a soft smile at how completely the other trusted him even though he'd done absolutely nothing to earn such a gift, leaning down to affectionately nuzzle the expanse of skin beneath which rested strong ribs covered in honed muscles. It was rare for him to feel so fondly of another, but when he did, it was a complete thing. Before Bastion, the only two people he would feed off of were Zane, his roommate and thus someone he'd had time enough to learn to lean on if only because he had no one else to rely on, and Branwen, mostly because the girl was a kindred soul who had been abused by those she'd loved and because the two of them were each other's escapes from reality, a place where neither of them held each other's sins against them. He shook himself, realizing at a slight prick of pain that his fangs had started elongated at the thought of blood, and returned to his task, adding another finger to Bastion's ass while the other was distracted, instantly starting his scissoring and earning a protesting whimper from his lover. Realizing his mistake, he paused in his actions, looking down at Bastion's naval. "Sorry," he murmured softly.

The Misawa wrapped his ivory wings around the demon, letting the soft down comfort the other. "It's okay, love," he soothed. "You can keep going. Just… try to be a little gentler." He reached out, caressing the demon's pale cheek and restraining himself from redirecting those beautiful eyes back to him. If he did not ask for it, Chazz would give him everything he could hope to want from the haughty demon _and _a few things he wouldn't have thought to request. So long as he was allowed to set his own terms, the Princeton could be a very affectionate and caring lover. The Ra was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost failed to notice the addition of another finger into him, each of the three appendages moving slowly and carefully as they stretched him in preparation for something a deal larger. When the fingers paused in their movements, he knew Chazz had something to say and made a concentrated effort to focus even more of his attention on the other.

The demon licked his lips nervously. "Here," he muttered, shoving his arm back into the angel's face. "You can claw up my back if you have to, penetration hurts like a bitch." Understanding bloomed in the larger's eyes as he realized the smaller had just given his permission to ingest more of that delicious blood, provided he could break that pale skin. A deep yearning to taste that chocolaty sin again blossomed in him, strong enough that he instinctively leaned forward to nip at the wrist presented to him, surprised when it yielded what he wanted easily.

Equally startled, Chazz's hips jerked forward to bury the length he'd just freed from its cloth prison into the angel, who let out a strange sort of whimpering moan at the sensation. Taking it as a sound of protest, the Princeton held himself perfectly still save from the arm he gently retracted to reveal a miniscule set of fangs on his lover, a smaller version of the ones that pricked at his own lips. Curious, he turned his hand to test the tip of one with his pale fingertip, pricking a hole in his forefinger that dripped a few drops of his blood before it healed over. "Well, that's new," Bastion stated self-consciously.

Chazz hummed an agreement. "It also happens to be quite sexy," he added, capturing the other's lips with his own, thrusting his hips in the same moment and swallowing up the moans as he kept moving steadily, their twin pairs of fangs clashing together.

Bastion broke away at one particular thrust, his strangled groan bouncing off the walls in a prolonged echo. "What the hell was _that_?" he panted out.

"That's your prostate," the Princeton replied, not pausing in his movements, even if he did now have something to aim for. "It's what makes _your _position so pleasurable."

The angel fought back a growl when the demon teasingly hit the sides of the gland rather than the straight-on thrusts he'd been bestowing before. "Dammit, Chazz, do it again!"

The Obelisk smirked. "Gladly."

* * *

><p>Cienna slid into Zane's room, where he was sitting rather impatiently on his bed, and plopped down in his lap. "Hello, Love."<p>

He nuzzled the back of her neck affectionately, trying to sneakily inhale as much of her scent as he could. "You're in a good mood right now," he noted. "Did you really miss me that much?"

"Well there's that." She murmured, giving him a soft grin that wasn't quite as enthusiastic. In fact, it was a rather far cry from such. "And the fact that we need to talk."

Hearing the serious tone in her voice, he sobered, pulling back a little to get a better perspective on her face. "Okay," he murmured. "You have my undivided attention, **tenshi**."

She took a deep breath. "I love you. I love you a million times over, and I know we're soulmates." A small grin teased him at that. "But... Sometimes I doubt." She struggled for the right words, coming up empty.

He leaned forward then, pressing their foreheads together. "If it's me you're doubting, **tenshi**, I don't exactly blame you. I didn't even know exactly how I felt about you until you left me."

"It's not you so much as it is me..."

He smiled gently. "You know, I'd offer you what I always do to Chazz when he's distrustful of me, but something tells me it'd only make things worse."

"But it's not you." She protested. "I just don't trust myself."

"Trust yourself with what, **tenshi**?" He was honestly curious as to what was distressing her so badly.

Head shaking, she buried her face in his shoulder, eyes closed. "I can't be what's best for you. I can't keep you happy."

His heart felt like it was breaking. "**Tenshi**, _of course _you make me happy," he soothed, pulling her closer to him with his dark wings. "I promise you, I've never been happier than I was sleeping there with you next to me the other night. It was only once I realized exactly how much of a mistake I'd made that I was saddened and guilty, but even then I still didn't regret what I did. I regretted hurting you, yes, but not the act itself."

She lifted her head, blinking away the tears that lingered on her lashes. "Someone else could make you happier."

"See?" a cold voice murmured from the shadows. "Even _she _admits she's not right for you, Truesdale."

Zane let out a growl, pulling Cienna behind him and flaring out his wings protectively. "That's none of your concern, Ravenwood," he snarled.

Cienna let out a startled whimper. "What's going on?"

Zane's wings bristled bigger. "You aren't welcome here, Ravenwood. Get out of my room before I throw you out again."

"Zane? What's going on?" She pushed herself closer to him, shaking from a mix between confusion and the aftermath of their previous conversation. "And what do you mean by again?"

Branwen stepped forward, an expression of disdain smeared across her pretty features, her black hair seeming longer than normal. "Hello there, bastard," she sneered hatefully, her grace ethereal and otherworldly. "Tell me, how does it feel to touch divinity?"

"You tell me," Zane retorted quickly. "After all, you were the one who was all over Aster Phoenix."

Her face twisted. "That boy is nothing! _Nothing!_" She stamped her foot angrily. "He's a bug underneath my feet and nothing more!"

At that, Cienna flared up, trying to push past Zane. "I swear to God, if you hurt him I'll kill you!"

"Don't," the male demon urged, trying to still her without actually looking back. "She's not right in the head."

"Not right in the head? How rich." She laughed, a cold and cruel sound. "I'm more sane than I've ever been, and I'll do whatever the hell I want to with the angel boy. _I'm _a god among gods, no one can stop me."

"I'll fucking _kill_ you, bitch!" Cienna clawed at the air, doing everything she could to get past Zane without hurting him.

He winced anyway but held firm. Branwen would kill Cienna without a second thought, and he did not want to lose his precious **tenshi**. "You do that," the female demon pronounced, looking down at her nails absently like she didn't have a care in the world. "In the meantime though, I think I'm going to go toy with the boy's emotions. He'll _pay _for laying a hand on me."

That was absolutely it. Cienna pushed her way past Zane and lunged at Branwen, clawing at her viciously. Her demon tail slid out from under her skirt and tendrils of dark magic writhed around her.

The girl danced away, the shadows coming over her body to form dangerous claws and scales, along with a reptilian tail that slashed across, bringing blood to the surface of Cienna's skin and pinning the stinger tail to the wall, the scaly appendage having pierced straight through its fleshy counterpart. At their wide-eyed stares, she smirked darkly. "You have absolutely no idea what you're fucking with here, do you?"

Wincing, but keeping a straight face, the half-breed hissed back, "Do I look like I give a damn?"

Zane closed his eyes, sighing. "You win, Ravenwood," he whispered. "I'll do whatever the hell you want of me, just please, let her go."

She smirked darkly at him, pulling back and licking a claw absently. "You only had to ask, Truesdale." With a cold chuckle, she moved towards the door again. "I'll be back to collect later tonight," she informed him. "Make sure it's just the two of us."

As soon as Branwen was gone, Cienna turned to Zane. Tears hovered in the corners of her eyes both from the physical pain and the emotional pain. All she wanted was to be in his arms but she stayed where she was. "You're going to mate with her?" She whispered.

He came over, gently pulling her injured tail towards him and pressing butterfly kisses to it. "She'll want me to," he admitted shamelessly, "but I'm hoping I can get by only by having sex with her." He held back that if the two of them mated now the other demon could do nothing to stop it, mainly because he didn't want to make things worse by pushing her into something she didn't want.

She whimpered, pressing herself desperately closer to him. "Why did you do that?"

He wrapped his arms around her, sheltering them both with his wings. "If I hadn't, she would have hurt you, **tenshi**," he whispered, nuzzling her affectionately.

Her tears fell faster, sliding down her cheeks and onto the feather around her neck as she stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his.

He accepted it full-heartedly, kissing back and cupping her face in one hand as if he was afraid she would break.

When they pulled apart, she rested her forehead against his. "I love you." She whispered. "I love you so much."

"You are my life," he stated back simply. "I couldn't imagine being without you." He wanted to tell her that he loved her too, but like most demons, he wasn't good at verbally stating his love, instead preferring to show it through his actions.

She graced him with a soft smile, breathing out softly. "What would it take to officially mate?"

His eyes widened, but he answered her. "It means we'd have to share blood at some point either directly before or immediately after we've had sex."

She reached for the feather and dragged it across her wrist, a thin trail of blood sliding down it. She brought her gaze up to his, moving her arm closer to his mouth. "Here."

He wrapped his fingers around her arm, pressing a quick kiss to the cut before he clumsily suckled out the blood, well-aware he was spilling some of the crimson through the corners of his mouth every time he swallowed, a waste in his opinion. He had no idea how Chazz managed to do this so neatly since whenever the Princeton fed, it was rare for him to spill even a single drop.

She inhaled sharply, confused by the pleasure she was receiving. A small sigh slid from between her lips.

"That's it," he encouraged gently when he was waiting for a little more blood to well. "Just relax and it'll feel even better."

She let herself relax, feeling better than she had in ages. In fact, she'd never felt better. She smiled softly.

Subconsciously knowing he'd taken enough from her, he pulled away, running his tongue along the wound for one last swipe before he turned to his nightstand, pulling out a blade, the very same one he'd used to punish himself before, from the drawer and offering it to her handle-first. "Would you like to do the honors, **tenshi**?"

Her eyes widened, but she reached for the blade, gently sliding the edge along his arm. Blood welled up from the wound. She gave him a gentle smile before kissing the gash and slowly beginning to drink.

He dropped his head back with a soft groan, his eyes sliding closed in bliss, and reached out to caress her hair encouragingly. Chazz may have had more experience than either of them when it came to pulling blood, but Cienna felt _far _better than the other demon did.

She tilted her head into the touch as she suckled, finding that the blood actually didn't taste bad. _Like chocolate-covered strawberries_.

He could feel his arousal growing with every move her mouth made over the cut, but he held himself back, this time wanting to give her a proper first time rather than the heat-spurred lust he'd taken her in the last time. "**Tenshi**," he whispered softly, "keep going."

She didn't really respond, too caught up in the taste of his blood to do much else. Now she knew why everyone thought vampires were sexy. Deeming that enough had passed into her for the moment, he drew his wrist back from her lips, instead replacing it with his own. She moaned breathily and responded with vigor, winding one hand into his hair as the other came up to trace his chest. He wrapped his arms around her thighs, pulling her up to straddle his waist as he let them fall back on the bed, carefully rearranging his wings so that they did not take the full brunt of the impact even if he himself did.

"This has to go." She whispered, licking the shell of his ear. Her fingers swiftly undid the buttons of his shirt as she kissed down his throat, nipping at the junction of his neck and shoulder.

A moan rumbled in his chest as he let her pull it off him, his fingers stroking up and down her lower back. "Do what you want to me, **tenshi**," he whispered. "Tonight, I'm all yours."

* * *

><p>Aster wove along the edge of the forest with the grace of, well, an angel. He'd already dropped his things in his room and had promptly become bored. This had led to his decision to wander the campus. Thus far, he'd walked the beach and around the dorms.<p>

She perched herself on a tree branch, one leg dangling down and swinging carelessly as she rested her arms on the other. Her hair blew about in a light breeze, coming down over her pale face and caressing her slender form, but she didn't care enough to push it away.

He caught sight of her, curious gaze rising to her form. An eyebrow arched on his forehead, he called up to her. "Branwen?"

She smirked at him. "Hello there, little bitch, and what are you doing out so far from home this evening?"

His eyes widened. "Um... excuse me?"

She jumped down, landing cat-like on her black boots before her black dress came to cover her pale legs. "I asked you what an innocent little lamb such as yourself was doing so far from the sheppard. After all, you never know when a crafty wolf is out to hunt."

"There's something... different about you." He said quietly, taking a small, worried step back.

Her smile was feral. "So you _can _sense that about me. That's good; few can. It will make things much easier in the long run."

"Who are you?"

The shadows came up to caress her skin like a longlost lover, and she let them, tipping her head back slightly and relishing in the stroking. "I'm Branwen Ravenwood."

"No you're not." He replied with a frown. "In fact, you're nothing like her."

Her smile turned darker. "That's because _I'm _the true Branwen. She's just a… shadow on the face of the whole." She chuckled at the irony of the statement, the darkness around her roiling with her amusement.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"**Yami no hikari, baka**,*" she spat. "Look it up."

He reached out to grab her by the wrist. "Whatever you're doing, you need to stop. I'm pretty sure Branwen's never done anything to hurt anyone. There's no reason to be doing this."

She danced back before he could land a finger on her, her movements deft and sure. "That's exactly _why _I'm here," she stated darkly. "Because the damn brat couldn't raise a hand against someone to save her own life. She is _weak_, so I must make her strong." She smirked darkly, the shadows gathering closer to her. "Perhaps I'll start with you. Surely seeing your blood covering her hands will startle her, wouldn't you say?"

Aster growled. "You're so quick to break her. Making her a killer will break her. But not in the way you want."

She shrugged. "In my experience, broken is broken. Either way, she will be easy to mold as I please." All of a sudden, she shuddered, the darkness surrounding her streaking away as she clawed long bleeding scratches down her own arms. Her black hair fell over her face, but she found it an impossible task to push it away with her shaking hands. "No!" she shouted, her wings ripping through the back of her dress to reveal that they had gained a good handspan of length to them, the feathers razor-sharp and distinct. "I am the one who owns this body, not _you!_"

In that moment, he reached out for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her to his chest. "You said this keeps the darkness away." He whispered, more to himself than to her. "I hope this works."

Her limbs stiffened, adrenaline racing through her, but she did not struggle against him. Instead, she started sobbing into his chest, uttering words that were muffled into silence against his jacket.

He picked her up and sat down, placing her gently in his lap. He ran a hand through her hair, down into the feathers at the base of her wings. "It's over, Branwen. I promise, it's over."

"You're wrong," she whispered in a moment of "clarity". "It'll be back, and then I'll pay for this, I'll pay so much, and then it'll go after you, and then you'll be dead, but I'll still have to pay, I'll be paying for the rest of my life."

"I won't leave you." He said quietly. "I promise I won't get killed or leave you. I can keep the darkness away."

"You promise?" she asked childishly, looking up at him with hopeful ruby eyes.

"I promise." He replied with a gentle smile.

She smiled shyly at him, resting her head into the crook of his neck. "Chazz would like you," she murmured to herself sleepily. "He always said that angels had hearts just as black as demons, but he was wrong, you're _better _than almost every demon I've known."

He smiled, shifting her position in his lap slightly. His arms cradled her. "Get some sleep, Branwen." He murmured. "I'll be here when you wake up. And besides, you need it."

"I'll have to tell him not to let it go," she continued, voice nearly inaudible as she relaxed further into his embrace, her wings coming out to wrap around him weakly. "When he finds happiness, I'll have to tell him not to let it go. Taboo or not, letting go isn't an option to people like us…"

His own wings slid around her gently, a blanket of soft velvet. He ran a hand through her hair and made her look him in the eyes, "Sleep, Branwen."

She gave a gentle smile, breaking away from the fierce sapphire to tangle pale fingers into pristine feathers. "White as snow against black as night," she whispered. "It really is the most beautiful and poetic of contrasts. No wonder they fought so hard against it." Refusing to fight the yawn in her throat, she rested her cheek against his chest and hid her sparkling rubies behind sheets of ink-streaked paper, spidery fingers still clenched tightly and possessively in his fuzzy down.

He smiled down at her, resting his head against the tree he'd sat them under. "Goodnight, Branwen."

She was already sleeping soundly against him, obviously exhausted if the fact that her vibrating phone failed to stir her into enough of a wakefulness to answer the thing.

He slid his hand into her pocket and plucked the phone from it. _Atticus Rhodes_. He flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Where is she?" the voice on the other end demanded, obviously deducing that it wasn't Branwen who had answered. "Is she okay?"

"I've got her. She's safe." Aster replied, trying to keep his voice down so he didn't disturb the sleeping girl.

"I'm coming to get her," Atticus shot back, the rustling of movement becoming audible as the demon prepared to follow through on his words. "She doesn't like being around others when she's sleeping. Not even _Princeton's_ allowed to simply curl up next to her unless her back's up against a wall, and even then the pair of them sleep so confined that they could practically put another person in with them."

"She fell asleep just fine. She's comfortable. I promised her I wouldn't leave." Aster retorted.

"It's not the falling asleep that's the problem," the demon insisted. "She's so exhausted that she has little problem dropping off. It's the nightmares, insomnia, and thrashing that are the problems."

He sighed. "I _promised_ her I wouldn't leave. I can't break that promise. Not now or later."

"You know nothing about her!" the Rhodes male insisted. "Why do you care about her so much?"

"I just do." He whispered back. "I need to keep her safe."

An echoing sigh whooshed over the line. "Fine," he muttered in defeat. "But if you hurt her, I'll tear you apart myself."

* * *

><p>In Jaden's arms, Syrus was content. Which is why, as they sat on the bottom bunk of 'their' room, nothing could've brought Syrus down. He lifted his gaze to the demon, smiling shyly. "So how are you?"<p>

"I'm okay," the brunet answered. "I haven't had any time to really explore, but Branwen came to visit. She gave me this!" He showed the blue-haired the black feather that he found in his pockets, beaming.

Syrus smiled softly. "She's protecting you." _I'll have to thank her for that._

"Huh?" The look on Jaden's face clearly said his friend's words did not compute.

"Having a demon's feather is a sign that you're being... protected by them." Syrus explained. "Usually it's reserved for mates or extremely close lovers—which is why Cienna having Zane's feather was such a big deal. But with our current situation, I can only assume Branwen gave you one to keep you safe."

Wide green eyes stared at him. "I DON'T WANNA BE TOUCHED BY A GIRL!" Jaden wailed, hiding his face in sky blue locks.

"She's just keeping you safe." Syrus reassured him. "She doesn't want to mate with you. Trust me, she has other things on mind."

The brunet just nuzzled the hair beneath his cheek. "I want you, Sy, not her. Just you…"

Syrus's eyes widened, but he leaned into the demon's touch. His gray eyes darted to the brunet. "I want you, too." He whispered.

Jaden's dark wings wrapped around the younger Truesdale's body, carefully tucking underneath the smaller's arms. "Sy…"

"Jay?" Syrus whispered back, eyes wide with hope.

He couldn't wait any longer. Surging forward, the demon pressed his lips to the angel's, wanting to taste the one he adored so dearly. The angel returned the kiss with earnest, sliding his arms around the brunet's neck, tugging softly on his hair. Jaden instantly replied to the request, opening his mouth to the smaller, his hands focusing on pressing the other as close to him as he possibly could. Syrus explored Jaden's mouth with divine fascination, only pulling away to breathe. "You're mine," the brunet breathed in an undertone, leaning his forehead against the Truesdale's. "_Mine_."

"Mmm..." Syrus sighed, eyes snapping open. "Yours."

* * *

><p>*Yami no hikari, baka- roughly translates to 'Darkness and Light, stupididiot'. Yami and hikari refers to the relationship of the spirit of a Millennium Item and it's wielder from the original series (in case someone forgot).

* * *

><p>Bastion: Thanks for reading everybody.<p>

Chazz: Yay, we got another one of these fucking things over with.

Die: *hits him* Chazz, behave!

Zane: If you review, we'll give you some holiday-themed cookies.

Die: *smiles at him sweetly* Thank you Zaney!

Bastion: Good night everyone!


	17. Chapter 15: Holy Shackle

Die: Ugh, I really need to do something about this...

Jaden: What's wrong?

Die: Cali hasn't done ANYTHING on this since early in the month... and she's been doing little since early November.

Chazz: See? It's a sign that you need to stop working with us.

Die: NOBODY ASKED YOU! *hits him*

Syrus: Let's ask the readers for help.

Jaden: *cups mouth with hands* HEY EVERYONE, WHEN YOU REVIEW, TELL CALI TO GET HER ASS INTO GEAR SO THAT WE CAN SEE HOW THIS ENDS!

Chazz: *grumbling under his breath* Neither Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifteen: Holy Shackle<p>

Cienna woke to the sound of her phone. She jack-knifed into a sitting position, scrambling from the bed and Zane's grip to hunt for the device. Finally finding her pants, she dug it out of the pocket just in time, "Hello?" She waited for the voice to continue, "Yeah. I know. Wait... that's today? Dammit... Yeah, sure. When do you guys land?" At the reply, she turned, throwing a look at the clock with a sigh. "Totally. See you then. Yeah. Love you too. Bye."

"Who was that and why the hell were they so insistent upon talking to you this early?" Zane asked groggily, still buried in his blankets and clearly missing her warmth judging by the way his dark wings moved closer to his body.

She chuckled, crossing the room and laying down beside him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. A soft kiss was pressed to the tip of his nose. "Father. Today's Parent's Day."

"Oh yeah," he noted. "I never keep track of that since Sy and I are practically orphans." He opened his wings up to let her in again. "In all honesty, I likely should, Branwen and Chazz come up with the most _hilarious _plans every year…"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Just remember when you meet my family that you love me. And _they_ are only mean because they love me enough to try to protect me."

"And I don't?" he teased her gently. "I thought I proved myself worthy of your trust last night."

She giggled, nuzzling his chin. "You did. I'm just warning you. Dad and Daddy are going to be straight-up vicious. My uncles, Father, and Syl will be much better."

"Mmm," he hummed, happily accepting the caress. "I wonder what Branwen and Chazz will try this time… I hope it's the one where he gave her an STD and thus they both have to stay in the infirmary again."

"What?" She paused her actions, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "They who the what now?"

"Or the one before that, where he went hysterical because she managed to convince him that I had gotten them both pregnant," he continued, lost in the memories.

She sighed contentedly, burrowing deeper into his arms and tucking her chin into his neck. She pressed a gentle kiss there, where there was already a mark from the night before. She giggled. "I made my mark, eh?"

"That you did, **tenshi**," he agreed, instantly understanding what she was referring to. "And I on you."

Having not noticed, she immediately began hunting for the marks, curiosity leading the search more than anything else. "Hopefully Daddy won't notice..."

"I doubt it," he answered her soothingly, catching both her hands with one of his own, the free hand skating down to her hip, where an angry red mark almost wanted to protest his feather-light circling.

"Mmm..." She grinned at him mischievously, resisting the urge to react to his touch. "Yeah, he won't see that one." She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, sighing quietly. "Y'know, in that case, we should probably get dressed and to breakfast. The helicopter lands in an hour."

He smirked right back at her. "And what are my odds to simply staying here with you and facing whatever hell your parents decide to give me for sleeping with their little girl?"

"I don't want a dead mate." She replied with a teasing laugh, hand sliding down his chest. "And as much as I'd love to stay," her hand skimmed tantalizingly lower, "we can't. I love you too much to lose you to my parents."

"And yet you tease me like we can," he lamented, leaning in closer, his breath hitting her bottom lip.

"It's too much fun not to." She whispered, leaning her lips in to catch his, hands winding around his neck.

In that instant, a whirlwind of black and silver burst into his room, none other than a panicked Branwen making herself known, a red sheath dress on her pale figure. "Zane!" she yelled, causing him to jerk away and bang his head against the headboard with a muttered curse. "Where's Chazz? I need to find him so that I can get out of seeing my dad!"

"Try my room." Cienna offered stiffly, reaching up to press a gentle kiss to the knot forming on Zane's head. "He undoubtedly spent the night with Bastion."

"Thank you!" She darted back to the door, her big ruby eyes looking up at the silver-haired angel who leaned there before he took her hand and followed her out.

Cienna stared after them for a moment before turning her attention back to Zane. She nuzzled his throat, "So what do you say we get dressed?"

"I suppose that would be prudent…"

* * *

><p>Bastion gently traced the bone of Chazz's black-feathered wing with a smile on his face, the demon having curled up underneath his chin and across his chest after their lovemaking yesterday. The demon was inexplicably adorable when he slept, appearing far more innocent than he was. And to hell if Bastion didn't know that. A wide grin crossed his face at the memories of the night before.<p>

"Chazz!" a familiar voice called through the door. "Chazz, I'm coming in, and you had better be decent in there!"

Bastion groaned, pulling the covers higher up their bodies for good measure. "We're covered." He called, noting sadly that his mate was stirring.

Branwen, who had just strode in, blushed at the sight of the angel, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Hello Bastion," she murmured shyly. "I take it Chazz isn't awake yet, is he?"

The demon in question merely snuggled closer to his captured mate, clearly not wanting to wake up anytime soon. "Not really." He replied with a quiet laugh.

She smiled forlornly at them. "It must be nice, having something so warm and gentle so close to you. Be sure to keep him safe. He's experienced a lot of pain in his past, and I don't think he deserves to be hurt again."

"I won't hurt him." The angel replied softly, curling his arm tighter around the demon.

"That's good," she started longingly. "If anyone deserves a chance at happiness, it's him."

Aster squeezed her hand as if to add _He's not the only one_. But Bastion merely nodded. "Did you need something?"

She breathed in, intending to speak, when she froze, catching a scent she hadn't expected to. "Are you two mated?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.

Bastion flushed slightly. "Yes..."

"Then you can do nothing for me," she replied forlornly, turning to walk away then. "Thank you for conversing with me though."

"Wait," Bastion called softly. "Are you sure?"

She smiled at him sadly. "Unfortunately, a mating bond can only be concealed with another. I have none and thus cannot provide him any disguise from his brothers, no more than he can me from my father."

Bastion frowned. "I'm sorry, Branwen. I would help if I could."

Chazz stirred then, opening obsidian eyes. "Bastion?" he muttered sleepily, "who're you talking to?"

Bastion sighed, "Branwen."

He looked over at her, his dark hair falling over his head. "Heya Bran," he stated, too lazy to move from his position on top of the angel, even if he was disturbed by the holy aura of the other male in the room. He would have reacted had he not been so close to his mate, but Bastion's presence soothed him far more than anything else had in his entire life. "What're you doing here?"

She smiled softly at him. "Leaving. I'm gonna have to talk to Atticus before my father gets here." He frowned at the mention, well-aware of the abuse she'd suffered at his hands.

Another soft sigh left Bastion's lips. "Let us know if you need anything."

She shrugged. "Unless you can magically procure a demon who is willing to mate with me, I'm pretty sure neither of us can do anything."

"That, I can't do." Bastion replied softly, noting, where it seemed no one else did, that an outright frown mounted Aster's face at her words. He kept any comment down, however, just giving the angel a nod.

Chazz frowned. "Well, you stick close to me today," he urged her nonetheless. "If we're lucky, he'll still think we're together like we were last year."

Bastion was, oddly, all right with that. What was in the past was just that, and all Chazz was doing was protecting a friend. He approved. He suppressed a smile—that wasn't the time.

She groaned, putting her head back. "Yeah, but remember how suspicious he was? Though, in his defense, it _was _warranted. I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on earth, no offense."

The Princeton chuckled at that. "None taken, I'm gay."

"It's better than nothing, though right?" Bastion threw in quietly, feeling rather out of place.

She stiffened, looking down. "Not necessarily. If Father gets even a _hint _that I'm pulling one over on him, he'll take me back home with him." Her arms wrapped around herself as if to hold herself together. "I don't want to go back, Haven Academy is my home…"

Aster pulled her closer to him, gently wrapping an arm around her, a single snowy wing sliding after it. "It'll be fine." He whispered gently.

"Maybe," she answered, "but I'll be glad when he's off the island. I want to mate for love, not power."

"You'll make it." The gray haired angel reassured her. "I promise you."

"Chazz," she added softly, "promise me you'll try to keep away from my family. I don't want anyone getting hurt today."

He nodded. "So are we going to do our usual unwind later?"

"Of course. We haven't done it in a while, and as if that's not enough, I think today's going to really call for it."

* * *

><p>He pressed a gentle kiss to Jaden's lips at the door, smiling softly. "Your mom is coming today, right?"<p>

He grinned. "Yep! She even said she'd bring me a whole batch of muffins!"

Syrus laughed softly, grabbing Jaden's hand as they left their dorm. "Your mom bakes?"

"If by 'bake', you mean 'set the entire kitchen and quite possibly the entire house on fire', then yes, she bakes."

_She sounds just like him..._ "Is cooking the same way?"

"No. When she cooks, she lights me or my dad on fire." He grew sad at the mention, even though he was quick to perk up with Syrus's attention still firmly focused on him.

"Is your dad coming too?" He got a feeling the answer would lead to sad conversation, but he also felt it needed to be asked.

The demon shook his head. "He died when I was eight. Car accident. He was pronounced DOA when the paramedics got there."

"Oh, Jaden." Syrus sighed, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sy, really. Cienna's dads practically adopted me… and those guys are some real psychos. Did you know that one time, the eldest and the youngest once had a competition over who could make the other scream the loudest when they were screwing each other? They had _me _be the referee since she refused to do it."

Silence followed. After several moments, Syrus arched an eyebrow. "How the hell did she turn out sane?"

"You know, I'm not completely sure she did, to be honest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The girl in question appeared at his side, throwing a lazy arm over Jaden's shoulder.

Green eyes widened in alarm and he darted around to Syrus's other side. "DON'T KILL ME!" he screamed, trying and failing to hide behind the smaller.

"I won't." She laughed, winding an arm around Zane's waist and grinning. "Your mom'd rip my face off for killing her Baby."

Syrus smiled softly at how his usually-distant brother allowed the contact, even encouraged it by wrapping one black-feathered wing around her. Zane didn't connect with others well, as evidenced by his rather unorthodox relationship with Chazz Princeton, but if he could manage to keep Cienna close to him, he'd be glad. His eyes widened, however, as something became apparent to him. "You two didn't?" he gasped in surprise.

Cienna smiled softly, knowing instantly what he was referring to. "Yeah. We did."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" he squealed, launching forward into a massive hug, which caused Zane to tense up defensively.

"Did what, what the hell are you all talking about?" Jaden grouched, pouting at the loss of his love interest.

Cienna laughed, hugging the small boy back. "Zane and I are officially mates." She placed a soothing hand on Zane's chest, offering him a loving smile.

He smiled back, relaxing under her touch. "And I wouldn't trade that for the world," he added softly.

* * *

><p>"Hello Branwen," a soft voice murmured from the shadows of the girl's room, making her freeze in alarm as she tried to finish lacing up the back of her black lace corselet, her fingers dropping the black leather ties.<p>

"I- I thought you weren't coming until later, sister," the girl murmured softly, her face downturned as she slowly gathered up the ties again and resumed her task.

Cold fingers brushed away warm slender ones, these ones a deal more sun-kissed than the pale ones of the smaller. "Since I could not manage to find someone willing to escort me here later, I kindly decided to accompany the two Princeton brothers when they offered to bring me here." The smaller girl was quiet. "Is this a problem, Branwen?"

"No, no problem," Branwen answered hastily. "I was just expecting to have a little more time is all!"

Seeing her flustered, Aster immediately crossed from the wall to her side. He eyed her sister carefully as he twisted her fingers through his. "Hello."

Branwen calmed slightly at the touch, even if the girl who could have been an older and more feral version of the doll-like girl bristled, midnight feathers spreading slightly in a threat. "And who are _you_?" the girl snarled, the grip on her younger sister's other arm tightening.

"Aster Phoenix. And you?" His gaze was cold, hard.

"Nix Ravenwood." Her dark burgundy eyes demanded answers from Branwen's light ruby ones. "And what is such a powerful angel doing with my demonic little sister?"

"Keeping an eye on her." He returned evenly.

"She is a Ravenwood demon," Nix stated, her head coming up proudly. "She does not need anyone's protection."

"I will leave the moment she protests." He replied, squeezing her hand gently. "But until she does, I'm here."

Nix's dark wine eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't think you understand me, Phoenix," she snarled, stepping forward. "A Ravenwood does not need anyone else. That means my baby sister does not need you in any way, so leave."

"No. I promised her I wouldn't until she asked me to."

"You- You can go now, Ash," Branwen murmured softly, shyly, in a wavering voice. "I'll be okay."

Nix snorted. "Of course you will, Bran. You're a Ravenwood. Ravenwoods don't need anyone or anything but themselves."

He looked down at her concernedly, "Branwen, you're just saying that..."

"I'm not," she replied, her hand coming up to give him a gentle push on his shoulder. _Can't you see that I'm only trying to protect you?_

_I can't leave her_. "I...are you sure?"

The girl nodded. "Go on, I bet Cienna's waiting for you."

"She can wait if you want me to stay." _I have to give her the chance to say yes._ He looked her deep in the eyes, worry throwing itself at her.

She softened at the look he gave her, throwing herself into his arms and burying herself in his embrace. At the sight, Nix's eyes grew cold, calculating. "Oh Branwen," she called, making the younger girl freeze, "you know the price for if he wants to stay."

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his bright wings around the both of them. "And what exactly is that?"

"The same way we Ravenwoods always pay for what we want," Branwen whispered fearfully, her body trembling lightly against his ivory feathers. "With a blood sacrafice."

He looked down at the fear in her eyes, expression firming. He lifted his wrist towards his lips, ready to tear the skin with his teeth if necessary. "Will my blood do?"

"Perfectly," Nix stated, smirking.

"Wait!" Branwen reached up, wrapping her pale fingers around his wrist. She spread one of her ebony wings, inspecting the feathers for a long moment before she pulled one of them from the bone, pro-offering it to him. "Use this instead."

He took it from her with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Darling." He slid the feather along his wrist, inspecting the cut carefully. He was unsure of how to deal with the sacrifice, cradling it in his hand.

She blushed, instead pulling it towards her. Nix watched with careful eyes as the younger demon slit her wrist as well before pressing it to his own, letting their blood mingle. The elder knew the repercussions of making a blood bond, especially when one or both parties already had feelings for the other, but unlike her father, she was more concerned with amusement than maintaining the purity of their bloodline. Aster Phoenix was a strong enough specimen to more than compensate for his original angelic nature when he fell and then fathered her sister's children.

Aster smiled softly at her. "Well that wasn't so bad."

"Maybe not for you," she whispered so quietly that Nix couldn't overhear her words, "but it is for me."

"What do you mean?" He asked quietly.

"I just became your Sire," she explained in an undertone. "That means that, any order I give you, you have to obey, even if it would kill you." A tear pricked at the corner of one ruby eye. "I don't want to hold so much power, not over _you_."

"It's okay." He whispered, tracing her cheekbones gently. "I don't mind." She sniffled, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "Hey," he whispered in her ear. "It's all right, Bran. I've got you. You're okay." She shuddered at the name, burrowing deeper. She hated being called Bran, it was something her family called her and thus not a term of endearment. "It's okay, Bren," he murmured, managing to decipher what was wrong with what he said and coming up with a different shortening of her name. "There's no one I trust more to hold me like that."

Nix smiled from where she leaned against the wall, her hands idly stroking the bat that she had let out of its black wire cage. Yes, Aster would make a most excellent addition to the family. All she had to do now was convince him to fall…

* * *

><p>Cienna bounced anxiously on the tips of her toes, peering through the crowd for her family<em>. C'mon Daddy, where are you?<em> Her fingers, still twisted through Zane's, were strained with the effort of keeping her hand still so as not to jerk him around. Finally, she got sight of a fluffy white head and let out an excited squeal. "Daddy!"

Instead, a pair of tan arms yanked her towards a broad chest as a sultry voice whispered into her ear, "What, am I not as important as Kura is, Ci-pretty?"

She squealed, turning in the arms and throwing her arms around his neck. "Dad!" She hugged him tightly, standing on her tiptoes to get a better grip. "It's so good to see you!"

"Um, Dad?" A sharp voice cut in. "I want a turn."

Pulling from her father's embrace, Cienna looked down at her little sister. Peering up through locks of dark blue, Sylvia grinned. "Hey Cici."

"Sylvia!" a concerned voice called, a hint of panic in the tone, "Sylvia!"

"Relax, Yami, I bet Mariku's got her."

"Yes, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, Bakura. Exposing you two to the world is one thing, but if any of my enemies caught wind of Cienna and Sylvia, they'd likely end up dead."

"You worry too much, Yami," a white-haired demon crooned, wrapping his arms seductively around the still-moving demon with the tri-colored hair. "I know a good way to unwind those tense muscles…"

"Not without me you don't!" Cienna's captor cried, the tanned spiked platinum-blond demon darting over to tackle them both in a flurry of black feathers.

"NOT AT MY SCHOOL, DAMMIT!" Cienna shrieked as she hugged her sister. "And not in front of Zane."

Sylvia threw a glance at the male in question as she pulled from the hug, grinning at him. "Hi Zane."

"Aw, but why not, Ci-pretty?" the blond whined, pouting from his position on top of his tri-haired captive, Bakura perfectly content to remain on the ground with the other two.

"Hello there," the elder Truesdale replied, not entirely sure how to interact with people in general, let alone children. That was Chazz's forte, not his.

"Because we are at my _school_. I have to live with these people." She glared at them. "And I need to get my damn hugs from Father and Daddy. Aside from that, did the uncles come?"

Sylvia grinned as she watched Cienna slide her hand in Zane's. "You make her happy."

"Um, if I said 'yes', would you kill us?" Bakura asked, deciding to move so that he too was sitting on Yami, albeit in front of Mariku.

Zane cocked his head to the side. "So is she not normally this happy?"

"I want them here." She replied, eyebrow still arched. "I missed them too, y'know."

Sylvia offered a huge grin. "She was naturally a content person until Damian. But she's smiling again because of you."

"Then yes, Ci-pretty, they're here. They're just coming later because apparently Malik-pretty decided to buy some of that dynamite stuff and light it up in celebration."

Zane frowned. "Who's Damian? And what did he do to her?" His hand tightened on Cienna's protectively, even if he kept his wings folded against his back.

"Oh dear God." Cienna sighed, throwing a careful look at Zane, then Sylvia who shook her head.

As soon as Cienna looked away, she sighed. "Her last boyfriend. She loved him. He committed suicide. She can't stand it when anyone cuts."

"Oh," Zane replied, and silence fell over them.

"Excuse me," a cold voice asked, its owner, a demon with shaded blood-red eyes, a dark black suit, and short black hair, shouldering past them all with an expression of mild disdain on his face.

Cienna eyed him with disdain, instantly recognizing some of the features of high-and-mighty demons. Her grip on Zane's hand tightened, pulling herself closer to him and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. _He's so cold... thank God my parents aren't like most demons..._

"Hmm," Yami murmured, making absolutely no attempt to get rid of the two other demons sitting on him, "that was Mischief Ravenwood, head of the Ravenwood estate. I didn't know he had a child here at Haven Academy."

"Branwen. She's a sweet girl." Cienna sighed. "And for God's sake, Father, would you let the others _get off_. Please. There are some people you really ought to meet."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Please refer all complaints to my two idiot lovers as I have given up trying to keep them under control at this point in time."

She sighed. "Dad, Daddy, if you want to have any information on my life and _mate_, you'd better get your asses off of Father this instant." Sylvia whistled, looking at Zane with newly-widened eyes. Cienna smirked at her parents as she waited for a reaction.

Yami was stunned speechless. The two demons on top of him, not so much. "SHE ABANDONED US!" Mariku cried, throwing himself into Bakura's arms, sobbing loudly.

"You did _what_?" the albino demon yelled, his wings flying out angrily in preparation for a fight.

She raised an eyebrow evenly against her father's anger, still bringing Sylvia around behind her so that she didn't get caught in the fight. "I mated. Is that a problem?"

"Damn right it is!" he growled back, arms wrapped around the demon in his arms. "You're sixteen! That's no time in your life to be making such lasting decisions!"

"Well too damn bad. I already did." She hissed, eyes narrowed. "And you can't change that." With a softer look at Mariku, she sighed. "It's not like I'm leaving you guys."

When Bakura opened his mouth to protest again, Yami spoke up as he placed a comforting hand on a still-hiding Mariku's arm. " 'Kura, it's not like she's pregnant, and besides, it looks like they're really in love with each other."

Cienna smiled softly at Zane, pulling her hand from his and wrapping her arms around Mariku. "Dad?" She whispered. "I'm not leaving. I still love you guys. You're still my parents. I'm not going anywhere."

"That's what Malik-pretty said when he mated with Yugi and Ry-fluffy," the Egyptian murmured sadly, "and I only see them once in a while!"

"Dad, I'm not leaving you. I'm never abandoning the family. You guys mean more to me than you know." She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "You raised me, even though I'm not yours. I love you guys."

"Really?" The tanned demon's voice was so pitiful, it even got Bakura to soften and pet the crazy mess of spiked blond hair.

"Really." She affirmed, running a hand through her hair. "Now get your ass off of Daddy and come meet my mate."

"Okay!" He bounced off, grinning wickedly as he pounced on a rising Bakura, who was somehow strong enough to keep himself upright with the more muscular demon clinging to his arm.

She laughed, grabbing Zane by the hand. "Zane, these are Dad, Daddy, and Father. ...Parents, this is my mate, Zane Trusdale."

Yami held out his hand. "I'm Yami Sennen, and these two morons are my mates Bakura and Mariku Sennen."

He nodded, shaking the demon's hand. "As she said, I am Zane Trusdale."

Cienna smiled, laughing. "You're so damn formal, Zane. They're family. No need to be formal."

He shook his head. "How else am I supposed to greet the Demon King, **tenshi**?"

"Hey Mariku," Bakura murmured slyly, a wicked gleam in his eye, "what do you say to finding that little punk and reminding him exactly why you don't steal from the king of thieves?"

"I'd say FUCK YEAH!" the tanned demon shouted, dragging the albino off with the two of them cackling madly.

"Well the Demon King will eventually be your father in law." She reminded him absently, attention drawn by Bakura and Mariku. She turned to Yami. "Who are they talking about?"

"Remember when Jaden had all those cookies last visit?" Sylvia said. "Well, apparently he stole them from Dad and Daddy's secret stash."

Eyebrows high, she snickered. "Dumbass."

* * *

><p>Zane: ... Why is it that all the weird ones find me?<p>

Bastion: You're preaching to the choir here. I mean, how the hell did that girl manage to convince Chazz you got him with a kid?

Zane: *sighs* I've stopped questioning it a long time ago.

Bastion: I can see why.

Aster: If you review, we'll give you a hug from Mariku, Bakura, or Yami.

Die: And before you ask, they may or may not be with chainsaws! *smiles*

Zane: ...

Bastion: ...

Aster: ... Right. Anyway, until the next update!


	18. Chapter 16: Holy Family

Jaden: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! *goes crazy with party stuff and confetti*

Chazz: ... Remind me again why I hang out with these slackers?

Jaden: *glomps Chazz* Because, deep down, you know you love us!

Chazz: ... Hell no. *pushs Jaden onto the floor and stalks off*

Syrus: *sighs* Well, Cali's working again, so that's good... even if it's a little slow right now...

Bastion: *comes in* Hey, where's Die?

Jaden: Out attacking people for waking her up with fireworks when she was trying to sleep.

Bastion: Sounds reasonable.

Syrus: ... Neither Cali nor Die own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the song "Given Up" by Linkin Park.

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixteen: Holy Family<p>

_I hyperventilate _

_Looking for help somehow somewhere _

_And no one cares _

_I'm my own worst enemy_

_I've given up_

_I'm sick of feeling_

_Is there nothing you can say?_

_Take this all away_

_I'm suffocating_

_Tell me what the fuck is wrong_

_With me_

Chazz snatched his phone up from the table, breaking the kiss he was bestowing on Bastion. "Hello Branwen," he panted, having recognized the song as the one he had pre-set for the girl.

She bypassed his oncoming preamble. "They're here."

He froze, obsidian eyes wide even if the other demon had already hung up. Bastion instantly reached out for the demon. "Chazz?"

The Obelisk darted across the room, hastily yanking on his clothes. "Stay right there," he growled, yanking his blue jacket on with more force than necessary. "I mean it. Today is _not _a good day for you to be wandering around."

"I'm supposed to stay in here all day?"

"Yes," the Princeton responded harshly. "You are to stay here, do some formula work or something, just please, do this for me. I don't… I can't… I _won't_ let them find out we're together."

He bit his lip, torn between fighting and just complying. He settled on the latter. "Fine."

Chazz's wings drooped as he sighed, the appendages folding against his back. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be ignored, and that wasn't the reason why he was hiding Bastion away. In a vague attempt at an apology, he crawled into Bastion's lap, resting his head on the other's shoulder and awkwardly wrapping his arms around the angel in a loose hug.

Bastion smiled softly, pressing a soft kiss to Chazz's forehead. "It'll be dull without you."

"Trust me, I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important," the demon soothed. "I don't want to leave you either."

"Good to know." Bastion said, resting his forehead against the demon's.

Chazz sighed, entirely unwilling to move. "I should probably go…"

"Go." Bastion whispered, kissing his lover's forehead again. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

><p>"May I present," Nix announced with a flourish, "the jewel of the Ravenwood household, Branwen!"<p>

The smaller girl blushed darkly, disliking that she was being put on show to the two elder Princeton brothers but not having the courage to protest it. She held herself still under Slade's stare, the elder trying to examine her entirely without taking her dress off. "She _is _quite the prize," Jagger mused, "but I'm not sure she would be strong enough to bear Chazz's young."

Aster sucked in a breath, doing everything it took not to strangle the demons where they stood.

"True," a cold voice acknowledged from behind them, "but then again, my daughter has always been one for surprises."

Nix sunk into a deep curtsy. "Father," she acknowledged.

Aster's eyes narrowed. This man was so familiar, so reminiscent of evil-Branwen. Then of course, it clicked.

"Bran?" the man murmured, bloody eyes narrowed, "don't you have something to say?"

"Hello Father," she whispered softly, only the slightest tremble to her wings showing her fear. Slade and Jagger nodded appreciatively at the display of obedience from the girl, something they wanted so that Chazz too would be dependent upon them for support and protection.

Aster, in stark contrast, clenched his fists, forcing down his growl. He had to keep control. For her.

"Slade, Jagger, how many fucking times do I have to tell you that I'm gay before you finally get the concept through your thick skulls?"

"Chazz!" Branwen cried, flitting forward and throwing herself in the grumpy demon's arms. She had always been encouraged to be more exuberant with him in the hopes that the two families could combine, but the two youngest siblings had never felt anything for each other aside from the friendship they had gained upon entering the school and she had permitted him to feed on her blood whenever he got hungry.

The male demon wrapped his wings around her, the urge to protect her overriding his fear of being detected as having a mate.

_Good. She's safe with him_.

* * *

><p>A slim brunette popped up in front of Jaden and Syrus. "Jaden!" The woman bubbled, haphazardly throwing her arms around the boy that was so obviously her son. A basket of muffins hung from her slim arm, emerald eyes twinkling excitedly. She crushed her son to her chest, squeeing him so tightly he almost lost breath. "It's so good to see you!" She pulled him back, hands remaining on his shoulders as she looked him up and down. "Oh, you're so grown up! I still remember when you were just a baby and needed me for everything! You were so adorable!" She sighed, smiling broadly. "So how are you baby? And who's this?" Her eyes fell to Syrus, curious and shockingly similar to Jaden's.<p>

The brunet didn't say anything, having already plundered the muffin basket while she was hugging him. Instead, the angel had to take the initiative. "I'm Syrus Truesdale," he murmured, offering her his hand. "And as for Jay… well… it's kind of a long story."

Her smile brightened as if the last part had flown over her head—there was a reason she was Jaden's mother. "Oh, it's so nice to meet one of Jaden's friends! Speaking of which, have you seen Cienna? I really ought to thank her Uncle Ryou for the muffins. I swear, without Cienna's family, we'd have starved by now."

"She's likely with my older brother Zane. The two of them _have _gotten kind of close…"

Jaden let out a low growl as he swallowed the remains of the muffin, pulling Syrus close to him, dark wings coming out protectively around the smaller. "Sy is _not _one of my friends, Mom," he stated.

"What do you mean cl-" Her words cut off, the sight of Jaden's wings freezing her where she stood. "J-Jaden? W-What happened to your wings?"

Syrus peeked over the ebony feathers, smiling sheepishly. "I tried to tell you," he explained. "Jaden fell a little while ago." His own ivory wings came out then, taking up the remainder of space inside of the demon's embrace.

Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, making her resemble a fish out of water, but she settled on a sigh. "Well, at least he has you, Syrus."

The little blue-haired boy blushed. "Yeah, well, about that," he murmured. "We're boyfriends."

Though appearing a little shocked, she still managed a smile. "Well that's wonderful."

"Um Jaden," the Truesdale murmured, "you can let go of me now."

"Don't wanna," the Yuki answered back childishly, tightening his grip and burying his face in sky locks.

His mother laughed, eyes twinkling with joy and a slight sadness. "He's always been like this. And I promise you it'll never go away."

"Jaden, I'll give you a muffin if you let go of me."

The brunet had to think about it for a moment, but he slowly retracted his arms, pouting all the while. "Don't want a muffin," he stated.

Cienna appeared behind his mom, smiling slightly. "Then why the hell did you let go of him?"

Jaden's mother turned, grinning at the blonde. "Hello Cienna."

"Hey Mrs. Terra." The two females embraced, laughing at each other.

"Is your Uncle Ryou here yet?"

"Nope. Malik got distracted..." She laughed. "But what else is new?"

The mother laughed. "That is incredibly true."

Jaden pouted at being ignored but patiently waited until the two calmed down. "I let go of him because I wanted a kiss instead."

"Aw!" Cienna cooed. "You two are so cuuuute!"

"They really are." Jaden's mother replied with a soft grin. "My little baby's growing up."

"We all are." Cienna giggled, sliding her arm around Zane's waist and pressing her face into his chest for a moment. "We're all falling in love."

He nuzzled her hair, reaching out to ruffle the blonde strands in a substitution for her wings. _Strange_, he mused to himself, _I would have thought Chazz would be here, if only to try to find Branwen Ravenwood._

The blonde turned her gaze up to him, a bright light dancing behind her eyes. _I love you_. Her expression read, _You mean everything to me_. Her fingers reached out to his other arm, pushing up his sleeve to eye the gashes on his arm once all attention had turned to Jaden and Syrus again. She ran her fingers over the healing gashes, an all-new kind of sadness washing her face pale.

He twisted his arm, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to the cut on her own wrist, the one that he had drank from the night before. _And you to me_.

Small tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, but she brushed them away. Upon his concerned look, she gave him another easily readable look. _I'm fine, love. I promise_.

"Why don't you go see that angel of Chazz's?" he murmured softly, not really wanting her to go but realizing she needed more than just him to keep her happy. "You haven't seen anything of him today, and I can assure you that they won't be having sex since Chazz has people to entertain."

"But my fathers." She whispered. I _don't want to leave your side, can't you see? I worry_.

He smiled softly, nuzzling her. "I'll come with you if you want."

"I can't leave my... dammit. I have no idea where Dad and Daddy are..." She shook her head. "I'll send Father to look for them and we can go talk to Bastion. Jaden and Syrus can entertain Mrs. Terra and it'll all work out. My parents can meet up with us at lunch if not before." She grinned up at him. _He reminds me of Damian..._ "And my uncles should be here by then."

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Looks like Mariku finally managed to surface. But where was Bakura?

"HAHAHA, WE HAVE SOMETHING PRECIOUS TO YOU, STREET-RAT!" Oh, there he was.

"JADEN, HELP, I'VE BEEN GRABBED AN EVIL VILLIAN AND HIS CAT!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"NOT A KITTY!"

"It only gets worse from here." Cienna whispered. "Let's run while we still can."

"I can live with that," Zane replied. "Those two scare me a little."

"You have _no idea_." She whispered, sneaking a backwards glance at her family. She and Zane slid away, only noticed by Yami—who smiled knowingly and gave her a small nod. Once they reached the dorms, she giggled. "I haven't actually been in my room since I walked in on Chazz and Bastion..."

"Yeah, you only do that once before the images scar you for life," he agreed.

"Eh." She shrugged. "I've walked in on my parents enough times that it doesn't bother me. I've just been at your place since they stopped their fanatic fucking..."

* * *

><p>Bastion let out a sigh, throwing down his math book and padding over to his bed. He missed Chazz, and here, the site of their lovemaking, smelled strongly of the other male, which soothed the pain in his heart somewhat. The door slid open with a small whoosh, exciting him. <em>Chazz is back!<em> However, it was the inseparable couple—Cienna and Zane. She smiled at the sight of him. "Hi Bastion!"

"Hello," he replied, dropping back on the bed, trying to hide a soft smile when he landed on a part of his pillow that smelled particularly strongly of the Princeton. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Well besides the fact that it's my room too," she giggled. "My parents are here so I obviously needed to get away. And all of _that_ aside, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Chazz and I _have _been pretty busy…"

She giggled. "Yes you have." She ran a hand through her hair, eyes falling to her bed. "By the way, _you're_ washing my sheets if you haven't already." She offered a quirky smile, "And I don't suppose I really have anywhere to sit in that case..." She dropped to the floor, cross-legged and laughing.

The angel flushed scarlet, unsurprised to watch Zane sink down beside her, his ebony wings wrapping around her as he pulled her into his lap. _Chazz never lets _me _do something like that…_

She smiled, leaning back against him. "So how are you?"

He shrugged. "Chazz is so… difficult to read. He expects things without having to ask for them, and he's extremely defensive, but I wouldn't have him any other way."

"That's good." She smiled excitedly. "Are your parents coming?"

"No," he answered. "I wanted to meet Chazz's, but he asked me to stay here today."

She frowned. "You're stuck in your room on Parents' Day? Bullshit! Come participate in the chaos that is my family."

"I don't know, Cienna," he replied. "Chazz _did _seem rather freaked out by this…"

"It's got to be insanely boring in here. I mean, I'd bring my family here but there's no way we'd all fit. Especially when my uncles get here."

He looked away. "I just… don't want to hurt him. He's so damn bipolar, I don't know what will or won't set him off."

Cienna sighed, tugging her lip between her teeth. "I know, but really, you might actually like my family. And Jaden's always happy to spew embarrassing childhood stories. My fathers are maniacs, but they're fun. You'll be missing out."

He sighed. His equations were rather boring, and he did rather miss being out in the sun… his room was just so boring now that he'd known what it was like to have a reason to leave. "Fine, I'll go."

"Yay!" She giggled, doing an odd sort of dance as best as she could in Zane's lap. The demon closed his eyes, pretending that he wasn't getting excited by the way she was wriggling against him. She tilted her head back to grin at him. "My uncles should be getting here soon. They're usually calmer than my parents." Impulsively, she brought her lips up to his. He kissed her back, reaching up to cup her face with a hand. She pulled away after a few minutes, grin widening. "We can't do that in front of Daddy. Father doesn't cavity-search him."

"That's vaguely disturbing, you know," Bastion muttered, pulling on his yellow Ra jacket over his wings.

She looked bemused. "Is it?"

"Yes. Having to cavity-search your significant other in order to prevent death is _not _a normal thing, you know."

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to the weirdness. Dad and Daddy are maniacs. Just being at my Uncles' house is odd because someone actually cooks."

* * *

><p>Malik didn't really want to wake up either of the two angels sleeping against his arm, but since it was time for them to land, the half-angel turned to the albino, the smallest boy against his other side already beginning to stir. "Just leave him, Mal," the smaller murmured sleepily, his wings stretching as he tried to wake himself up. "Ry's been working really hard, so it's probably for the better that he sleeps some of it off."<p>

Light lavender eyes softened. "Okay, Yug," he sighed, wrapping tanned arms around the pale boy, "but only because I love you both."

Just outside the window, they could see a blonde bouncing enthusiastically, hair flying everywhere. Yugi chuckled quietly. "Ci's waiting for us."

"Of course she is," Malik answered. "She'd just better not wake up Ryou, otherwise I am _so _dumping her in the middle of the ocean."

"And Bakura would kill you." He laughed. "You know she's Daddy's little girl."

"Nuh uh, not if it was in defense of his **yadonoshi**," the tanned angel defended, too caught up in the argument to notice the bump as the helicopter landed fully on the helipad.

The spikey-haired male nodded. "Granted." He peered out the window, eyeing the boy standing hand-in-hand with their oldest niece. _It's a miracle Bakura left him alive..._ "Looks like Ci's got a boyfriend." _I wasn't sure she would date again after Damian..._

"… I give him an hour."

"For _her_ sake, I hope he lasts longer. I wasn't sure she'd open up after Damian..." He said quietly.

"I just hope he doesn't leave her like Damian did."

"Ry-ry!" Malik looked down at the soft chocolate eyes of the angel in his arms.

Yugi eyed the boy in question, catching Cienna's eyes. She smiled and waved, he returned it, replying softly. "Bakura would kill him. But Ci's getting suspicious. Let's go."

"Okay," the tanned demon replied, childishly taking Yugi's hand as he tightened his grip on Ryou.

"You know, I _can _walk on my own," the pale demon murmured softly.

"You're tired." Yugi contradicted, scrambling down first only to be tackled by his niece.

"Uncle Yugi!" She squealed excitedly, throwing her arms sloppily around his neck and giggling. "You're _heeeereeee_." She sang.

"… Okay, who let you at the cookies without _my _say-so?" Malik growled, wings fluffing out as he tightened his grip on a drooping Ryou.

"I haven't had anything sugary all day." She turned to hug him, throwing her arms excitedly around the two left-over uncles. "It's just been a _fantastic_ day so far!"

Zane made his presence known then with a gentle, "Let go of them, Ci, before you choke one and completely compress the other."

She let go in that moment, springing away. "Damn, sorry!" She wheeled away, twisting her hand into Zane's grip instead. "It's just good to see you..."

"So, are you going to introduce us?" Malik said coyly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She shot him a glare. "Uncles, this is my mate, Zane. Zane, these are my Uncles—Malik, Yugi, and Ryou."

Ryou raised a delicate eyebrow at the word 'mate'. "You must've really wooed her," he noted tiredly, his exhaustion making him not nearly as guarded with his tongue as he usually was. "She always told us she never wanted to mate with a demon because she wanted to try to keep out of the world of politics Yami was in."

Cienna's eyebrows rose, an aggravated, "What the _hell_?" escaping her lips. "Uncle Ryou!"

"What?" he answered sleepily. "It's true!"

She held back a glare, staring at the ground firmly. "He's tired, Zane. He doesn't know what he's saying."

He chuckled dryly, pulling her close. "It's okay, **tenshi**," he murmured softly. "In fact, I'm honored you'd violate a promise you'd made to yourself when you were younger just for _me_."

She snuggled closer, pressing her face into his chest with a gentle smile. "You're worth it." She breathed in his scent right as Malik was tackled by Sylvia.

"Maaaaalik!" The blue-haired girl giggled, "Uncle Ryou! It's good to see you!"

"AHHHH! SMALL CHILDREN! I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS!"

"MALIK, THAT WAS RIGHT IN MY EAR!"

"NO, RYOU, I WILL NOT TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF AND ASK BAKURA TO DESTROY THEM!"

"MALIK, WHAT THE HELL?"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING?"

"SHUT UP MARIKU!"

"SHUT UP!" Cienna shrieked, shoulders tensing and devil tail peeking out of her skirt hesitantly. "WE ARE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO BE CIVIL AND AT LEAST REMOTELY SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE! AM I EFFING CLEAR?"

"YAY, NOW WE'RE ALL YELLING!"

Ryou reached up and cuffed Malik around the head at the same time Bakura did Mariku, the two albinos scolding their whining tan lovers.

Off to the side of all this, Bastion smiled forlornly. He didn't belong here, not without Chazz. Sighing, he turned around, wanting to go back to his room in hopes that the demon would be there.

Cienna caught sight of him, dropping Zane's hand and running after him. "Wait Bastion! Where ya going? I know they're insane but I swear I can tame them!"

"I just… I really miss Chazz," he sighed, unaware he was clutching at his chest right over his heart.

The worry on her face melted into sympathy as her hand moved to his shoulder. "You can go if you want. I just wanted to try to cheer you up." She offered a forlorn smile. "Guess that didn't work though..."

"You did though," he reassured her. "I just… I feel like unless he's at my side, I'm not complete, you know?"

She nodded, working up the energy to crack a joke. "Try going a day and a half without talking to him, then we'll talk."

He shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, well, you weren't mated to him then like I am to Chazz," he muttered darkly.

"That's true." She replied. "I couldn't do it now. It'd kill me."

He couldn't take it any more. With a call of "Sorry Cienna!', he darted off, wanting and needing to pull Chazz into his arms and feel the demon's heart beat against his own.

With a soft, understanding smile, she turned and made her way back to the chaos that was her family.

* * *

><p>Chazz sighed and leaned against the wall, having gained a moment to himself while his brothers were in a business conference via their phones. He wished he had enough time to go back to Bastion and bury himself in the angel's arms, but with the way Branwen's father treated her, he knew he had to stay close by to try to prevent her from being hit. Sure, Aster Phoenix had a reputation, but he didn't put it past the pretty boy to not want to sully his hands with such trash as demons, especially pureblood and broken demons like Branwen Ravenwood.<p>

As if reading his first thoughts, Bastion appeared out of practically nowhere, drawing the demon into his arms. "Bastion?" the Princeton purred in surprise, "what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay back in our room."

"I missed you." The Ra student whispered, leaning his forehead against the demon's.

Obsidian eyes softened. "I missed you too," the Obelisk murmured back.

"Aw, how cute, a whore and his bitch, reunited at last."

Chazz tensed, wheeling and spreading his dark wings to try to hide Bastion from Mischief's view. Branwen ran forward then, putting her hands around her father's forearm. "Father, please, don't," she pleaded.

He backhanded the girl, causing her to fall to the floor and slide a foot or two. "Don't talk back to me!" he yelled, eyes burning as he turned around to face Chazz and Bastion again. Chazz trembled when he raised his arm again, squeezing his eyes shut, but he opened them again at the harsh sound of flesh on flesh. Branwen's shaking form stood before him, her wings shielding them protectively and a large handprint visible on her cheek.

The two angels in the room were shocked, the difference in their reactions being how they handled it. Bastion was frozen, unused to the idea of such abuse coming from someone in the family. Aster, however, stepped in quickly. He stepped in front of Branwen, throwing a gentle look at her over his shoulder before turning on her father. Expression firm, eyes blazing, he let out a growl. "I'd say this is over."

The man laughed. "Cocky little punk," he chortled in amusement. "Because you amuse me so, I'm going to give you one chance, just the one, to remove yourself from in front of my daughter."

The angel stood his ground, keeping his gaze level with the demon's. _I have to keep Bren safe. I have to._

"You know," Branwen said, her body trembling as she echoed each word that her father uttered the same moment she did, "you really should get out of the way, Aster Phoenix."

He flinched, a minor spasm of disbelief. But no, it was her father controlling her. He couldn't leave her_. Not abandoning her_. "I really can't."

She shrugged, mirroring her father. "Your choice." Her dark wings surged forward, knocking him to the ground where the shadows came up to chain him there. She then strode towards Mischief, their bodies twining together in a parody of an intimate embrace. "You may think you can rescue her, but you are wrong. I am her, and there is _nothing _you can do about it."

Bastion pulled a frozen Chazz behind him, clawing out at the demons with blindingly white magic. It leaked between them, pushing them away from each other like a wall. Rage flew across Mischief's face as his control over Branwen was lost, her own face scared. The bonds that held Aster to the ground were gone and he pulled himself to his feet, wrapping Branwen in his embrace of arms and wings, cradling her close. The barrier of angel magic faded after a few shimmering moments, leaving Bastion looking confident and drained at the same time.

Branwen burrowed into his embrace, crying softly. It was over. It was finally over. Mischief growled at them, but he recognized he had lost. "Nix!" he roared, "You're in charge here!" He then wheeled about on his heel, the shadows wrapping around him and whisking him back to his home.

Chazz looked at Bastion with wide eyes, his body trembling, before he darted off, tears leaking from the corners of his obsidian eyes. He should have known it was too good to be true, he should have figured it out. An angel and a demon were forbidden to love each other, and with Bastion being revealed as a full-blooded angel, he had to get away, run far away and hope his mistake would cost him nothing more.

* * *

><p>Atty: DUN DUN DUN, CLIFFHANGER! YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!<p>

Zane: ...

Die: ... Oh yeah, that reminds me... *chucks a cookie at Zane's head* AND NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE MY ATTY! HE'S MINE! *grabs Atticus and cuddles him to her protectively*

Zane: ... Okay then.

Aster: *sighs* She's this easy to distract. *walks in front of her*

Die: ... *tackles Aster and cuddles him instead*

Atty: Well then, if you review, I will use my Magician of Love powers to help you get a date! Ta-ta! *runs off to go cuddle with Aster and Die*

Zane: ... Yeah, I've given up on trying to help them. *walks off, munching his cookie*


	19. Chapter 17: Holy Pain

Die: Whew, it's been another while since I last updated!

Chazz: Yeah, what's up with that? Not that I'm complaining though, we all know how I feel about you fucking around with us.

Die: ... My computer got a really bad virus. It took me one entire night to get it working out of safe mode (where the virus wasn't active), it knocked out my internet, I got the internet back up, and then I've been battling it ever since. I just had so many registry errors from what it did, it was so slow, and I don't even know if I fully got rid of it, so I had to take it to the professionals.

Jaden: ... Whaaaa?

Syrus: Her computer got sick and she's taken it somewhere for damage control.

Jaden: Oh. Why didn't you just say so?

Die: My computer went down after the errors went over 9000!

Chazz: So then where is this being put up from?

Die: The crappy computer I had before this: the family desktop.

Chazz: Oh...

Bastion: Neither author owns Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventeen: Holy Pain<p>

Bastion stood frozen in shock, arms hanging limply at his sides, tears sliding down his cheeks. A soft whimper escaped him, tearing its way past his lips. _He ran away. He's not coming back_. "Chazz..."

Branwen bit her lip before moving closer to him, brushing away the moisture with the tips of her dark wings. "I'm sorry," she murmured softly to him. "It probably would've worked out if he hadn't found out."

At her words, he broke down into sobs, falling to the floor. He curled in on himself, feeling broken.

She didn't know how to comfort him exactly, but it was in her nature to try. She reached out, pushing back the yellow jacket, and soothingly ran her fingers through his white wings. Most demons liked having their wings pet, she and Chazz being noticeable exceptions who preferred hair and pale skin for the latter, so she hoped something of the sort worked for angels too.

He choked on his sobs and wrenched his wings away. "Stop." He whispered. "Please stop."

"Give him time," she murmured, a little hurt that he had refused her but hiding it the same way she'd hidden her feelings away for her entire life. "He might come around." _Even if I have to knock the sense into him myself!_

Aster stepped in, setting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Let's get him to his dorm." He knelt down to scoop up the other angel, adding as an after thought, "And we might want to tell Cienna so she can keep an eye on him."

Bastion put up a mild fight, murmuring "Stop."

"I'm just taking you back to your dorm." The gray-haired angel said gently. "We'll leave you alone after that."

The black-haired girl bit her lip, debating whether she wanted to ask Bastion if he had a message he wanted her to carry or not. Just because Bastion was an angel did not make their mating any less true, and if the other demon didn't realize that, he could end up killing them both.

Bastion sighed, giving up his fight. He hung limply in Aster's arms, sobbing quietly into his hands.

That tore it. She turned on her heel and ran off, her dress, hair, and wings flying out behind her. She had to talk sense into Chazz, and she had to do it _now_.

* * *

><p>Chazz threw himself into his room, slamming the door behind him with a wrathful expression on his face. His fingers grabbed his wings, harshly yanking out handfuls of black feathers with his anger and stress as he fell down on the bed. He could feel the sadness creeping along the edges of his subconscious, no doubt a spillover from Bastion, and scowled at the prick of tears in his onyx eyes. He had made a horrible mistake, and now he would have to pay for it. He never should have trusted Bastion, trusted <em>anyone<em>.

* * *

><p>"Shut up Syl!" Cienna howled. "No one needs to know about that!"<p>

"Aw c'mon, Ci." The younger girl chuckled. "He's gonna have to put up with your PMS issues anyway. Why not tell him what's happened before?"

Cienna, whose cheeks were a brilliant shade of red, glowered at her sister. "The day you mate you're in for it."

Strong arms pulled her to a firm chest, their lengths wrapping around her waist and stomach. "Now now, **tenshi**," a soft voice chided into her ear, "behave."

"You don't get it!" She yelped. "She didn't have to say that stuff!" Her voice faded to a mumble. "And now you know that stuff..."

He nuzzled the expanse of skin between her neck and her ear. "It's okay, **tenshi**, I still love you, and I always will." Usually he had to strain for such words, but now, when he needed them most, they fell easily from his lips.

She smiled softly. "I know. It's just embarrassing..."

"Hey, I'm fairly certain Syrus would give you some pretty embarrassing stories about _me _if you asked him to and I wasn't in the room to throttle him within an inch of his life."

She giggled, pressing her lips to his cheek. "I'll be sure to ask."

Atticus came up then with a worried expression. "Hey, have you two seen Branwen anywhere around here?" he asked.

"I haven't seen her since early this morning." Cienna replied.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Dammit, I need to tell her something _really _important."

"Sorry." She murmured. "I'll tell her if I see her."

"I'm really worried about her," he continued, talking more to himself than anything. "She's been through a lot, and I don't like seeing her when she's so afraid of her own shadow."

"Chazz and Aster are keeping a good eye on her, I'm sure." Cienna said softly, giving him a gentle look.

"Yeah, but angels don't usually care for demons… and Chazz hasn't been able to stop that bastard before."

"Aster's not like most angels." There was new-found confidence in her voice. "He doesn't care if you're angel, demon, or half-breed."

"Either way," he muttered finally, "I don't want her falling in love with someone who will hurt her. She doesn't deserve that, and I don't care if he doesn't intend to hurt her or not, the fact of the matter is with the taboo the way it is, he _will _end up hurting her."

"So are you worried about her _right now _or her potential with Aster?" She sighed. "Because you're not making yourself clear."

"Both!" he shouted, then paused as if thinking about it. "Neither! Oh, I don't know!" he wailed, his fingers pulling out a handful of ebony feathers from his wings.

She leapt from Zane's lap, grabbing Atticus's hand. "Hey," she said gently, "She'll be okay. I'll come help you look for her if you want."

"It's okay," he muttered, yanking himself free. "It's probably better than I find her myself anyway. I don't think she'd want this sort of thing getting out…"

Though still concerned, she nodded. "All right. Just do me a favor and stop ripping out your feathers. It's not good for you."

He snorted. "I don't care about myself anymore. I fucked up and now I'm losing her to an _angel_."

It took everything she had not to punch him out then and there. She tensely pulled her arms in to her side, shoving it in her pocket. _I ought to kick his high-and-mighty ass_. At those thoughts, her demon-tail slid from under her skirt. "And what the hell is wrong with angels?"

Sylvia noticed out of the corner of her eye, eyeing her sister before tapping Zane to bring his attention to it. 'You might want to stop her' she mouthed. 'Otherwise your friend will end up with a black eye or two.'

"Calm down, **tenshi**," the Truesdale soothed. "Atticus doesn't have anything against angels, other than a slight disrespect for them since the Council of Elders does nothing to protect Branwen from her father. He only said that because of the punishment inflicted upon those who break taboo."

A terse shrug followed, harsh words flung at the brunet. "It'll be an ass-load more effective if you move your ass now instead of complaining about 'losing her' to Ash."

He narrowed his eyes at her but left anyway, his wings ruffling with his agitation. Zane pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Easy, **tenshi**," he murmured softly, rather disliking the harsh way she had sent off the other demon.

She sighed, turning and burying her face in his chest. Soft arms wrapped themselves around his waist, pressing her even closer to him. "I didn't mean to bitch..." she murmured apologetically, soft sniffs displaying her sorrow.

"I know you didn't," he soothed, cuddling her close, using his wings to shield her from the world. "Now, don't you have a family to keep from destroying the place?"

She laughed, wiping at her tears. "I probably should, shouldn't I?"

Sylvia piped in then. "Well from the looks of it, Daddy's about to kill Jaden, Dad and Malik are attacking the cookies, Father's talking to Mrs. Terra, and Yugi and Ryou are... being calm. So I'd say yeah. You should probably intervene."

Cienna laughed again. "Such a normal day..."

Zane chortled his agreement. He was delightfully, pleasantly, wonderfully out of his normal routine, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

* * *

><p>He'd never ever admit it, but Jaden did love his mom. She couldn't cook worth shit, or bake—which was a disappointment—but she was still his mom. And she'd taken care of him when everyone else would've given up—except maybe Cienna. So the fact that she was around was comforting.<p>

"Jaden, baby?" Her voice rang out, "Could you grab me an apple?"

He smiled, chirping happily, "Yep." He tossed it at her, missing her forehead by millimeters as it dropped into her lap.

She grinned. "Good throw Hun."

"JADEN!" Syrus screamed, scrambling away from a smirking Malik and into the chest of a grinning Mariku.

The demon looked up in surprise, a glare feeding his expression. "Get away from him." He yanked the angel to his chest, wrapping midnight wings around him.

"Aw, Jaden, we were just having a little fun!" Malik complained.

"Yeah, we weren't hurting him!" Mariku added.

"Hurting me? They were _groping _me!" Syrus peeked over the edge of the ebony wings around him, eyes wide.

"He's _mine_." Jaden growled, pulling the boy closer possessively.

"Only until one of you falls in love with someone else, brat," Bakura corrected. "Mating's out of the question, the Council of Elders would only kill you both for breaking taboo."

Jaden let out a growl, teeth bared ominously. "Fuck them."

"Jaden!" Syrus cried in alarm.

"What?" He asked indignantly.

The blue-haired angel buried his face into Jaden's favorite red jacket. "I love you too," he whispered, "but I don't want to lose you."

"You _won't_." Jaden said determinedly, pressing him closer.

He pressed a kiss to the demon's jaw. "I'm so afraid," he murmured softly. "I don't want them to kill you because you're a full-blooded demon."

That caught his attention_. I'm not... but I can't say that... EFF_! "They won't." He whispered. "I promise."

Syrus sighed. "I wouldn't change anything about you, Jay," he breathed, mostly to himself, "but I wish you were only a half-blood, if only so that I could be certain of our future…"

_I am!_ His brain hissed. The brunet sighed in a rare moment of seriousness. "We need to talk tonight..."

"Okay," he replied, snuggling more firmly into Jaden's arms.

* * *

><p>"Chazzy," a purring voice cooed, making the distraught demon freeze.<p>

"Wh- What the hell do you want, assholes?" He cursed inwardly for stuttering, but he couldn't help it. He was so scared right now, and he yearned to run to somewhere safe, except that he couldn't quite get up the courage to get rid of his pride.

"Why Chazzy," a second voice chuckled darkly, hands forcing the blue jacket from his shoulders, "surely you knew a mating bond wouldn't stop us from taking what was rightfully ours, no?"

"It should have," a cold voice answered, and all three males turned to see a pretty young girl with ruby eyes standing in the doorway, shadows covering her dark wings.

Slade recovered first. "Miss Ravenwood," he murmured, smiling sickeningly at her, "this doesn't concern you, now does it?"

She laughed darkly, intoxicated on the idea of finally being able to do something for her friend and on the power of her ability to do so. "True," she admitted, "but I'm _making _it my business."

Chazz instantly knew what Branwen was trying to do. He squirmed away, darting to her side. "Branwen," he whispered softly, but she gave him a gentle push to his shoulder.

"Go," she urged. "I can finish up here on my own." _I'd rather not have you around if my powers fail._

_I understand_. He nodded, turning on his heel and striding out the door. Branwen was going to unleash the power she had locked away, and she didn't want him to be around, especially since it was normal in her family for them to lose control of themselves with such strength. Wielding shadows was a dangerous art among demons, rare in its appearance because it warped the mind beyond repair. Branwen had done it for years, and yet every time he watched her do it, it terrified him far more than whatever it was she was using them against.

She closed her eyes, drawing the slithering darkness in the room towards her, but she wasn't fast enough to stop Jagger's wing from clipping her across the face. She cried out, falling to the ground as the shadows slipped away from her once more. "Stupid bitch," the middle Princeton growled, then leveled a glance at his elder brother. "What do you say about… _clipping her wings,_ Slade?"

"I say the sooner, the better."

* * *

><p>Bastion lay on his bed, curling in on himself. Shadows danced through the room, tossed around through the closed curtains. Tears still leaked from his eyes, falling to his sodden pillow. "Chazz..." he whimpered, shivering in the hot air. "Why did you leave?"<p>

The demon in question burst into the room, unaware that his shirt barely remained on his body, clinging onto his shoulder with a stubbornness to match its owner. "Bastion!" he cried, throwing himself into the angel's arms, the entire weight of what had almost happened him having occurred to him on the run between the dorms. His body was trembling finely, but he wrapped his arms, legs, and wings around the Ra.

Tears still sluicing down his face, Bastion held the trembling demon in his arms. He pressed a kiss to the demon's forehead, trembling as well. "You came back." He whispered reverently.

The Obelisk would have answered, except that he felt so much better now that he was in the angel's arms. He choked out another sob, peppering kisses on every part of skin he could reach as if in worship of his mate.

"Hey," Bastion said quietly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I almost _lost_ you," the demon whispered in anguish. "They almost took me from you because I was being short-sighted."

"Who?" Bastion whispered, fury building deep inside him.

"Slade and Jagger," Chazz answered, beginning to calm himself in the presence of his mate. He relaxed a little more, nuzzling the expanse of tanned skin before him.

Fury making him immune to the attention, the angel growled. "I'll kill them."

Such an easy answer to all of his problems. If Bastion killed his older brothers, not only would he be rid of the two most horrible things in his life, the angel would fall and become a demon, making their relationship completely logical and right. And yet, he found his lips forming the words "Bastion, don't" as he ran his fingers soothingly through ivory wings.

"They hurt you." He whispered, nuzzling the demon's neck. "I can't let them get away with it."

"Yes, but I'm safe now," the Obelisk replied. "And besides, if they hadn't, I wouldn't have met you."

"They tried it _again_ though." The angel persisted, anger and concern dragging the words from him. "I have to know you're safe."

Chazz's fingers tightened in their grip, though he was certain to extract them from the other's wings. "I'm not leaving you again," he declared firmly, obsidian eyes gleaming with determination for his resolution.

Tears started in the corners of Bastion's eyes again, his arms tightening around his mate again. "I was so scared..."

Acting on instinct, the demon stretched up to kiss away the diamonds by his lover's eyes. "It hurt more than anything to walk away from you," he confessed in a murmur, his pale lips still pressed to that tanned skin. "I just… was so afraid of losing you that I had wanted to do it myself." He chuckled dryly, a self-mocking sound. "I was wrong. I was wrong, and Branwen was right. Giving up on love is the worst mistake you could ever make, and I almost didn't realize it until it was too late."

"But you did." Bastion murmured. "And you're back."

Chazz's arms tightened again, the little voice that he assumed was his conscience—why it talked like Branwen, he had no idea, though he suspected it was because she was usually the one to spout lasting advice to him—urging him to confess everything to his mate, to get it off his chest and be done with it.

"Are you all right?" Bastion asked softly, leaning his forehead against his lover's.

His conscience won. "Bastion? Can I tell you something really important?"

"Of course." The angel stopped his affectionate stroking so he could look his mate in the eyes.

"Just... promise me you won't get mad or try to do anything 'bad' about it first, okay?" Obsidian eyes begged for this concession, even though he instinctively knew it would be given.

"Of course." The angel repeated.

"I… when I was ten, my brothers… well, they…" He wet his lips, not entirely sure how to say this, so he simply stated it bluntly. "They were pissed at having a little brother who was a natural submissive, so they raped me and made me fall into my current demonic state." The memories welled up at the confession, but rather than continue on in a shaky voice, Chazz managed to locate the bond connecting them and instead poured the images, sounds, smells, _everything _into it, letting Bastion see everything firsthand.

Bastion shuddered, pulling his lover close and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. "I've got you now." He whispered. "And I promise it'll never happen again."

Chazz smiled and nuzzled closer, intentionally resting his head underneath the angel's. Trust and contentment radiated through him, and he was content to remain like this instead of dealing with whatever scheme his brothers had cooked up.

* * *

><p>Branwen screamed at the first touch of the holy water to her body, squirming inside the firm hold that was around her, but all she gained for her troubles was a deeper dip into the pool, completely submerging her beautiful wings, something she was always proud to keep glossy and perfect even if they were rather difficult to use for flight.<p>

"Get the hell _away_ from her!" A sharp voice howled. There were sounds of a violent struggle, growing closer, ever closer, until she was falling backwards. A pair of warm, hard arms caught her by the waist, dragging her close to a hard chest, gentle words breaching the silence. "I've got you, Bren."

"Atticus," she sobbed, the pool behind them filled with ebony feathers, more of which were falling from her sopping wings with every one of the harsh shudders she made. "Atty, I'm so _sorry_, so very sorry."

Figuring she was disoriented, Aster pulled her closer. "Sorry about what sweetie?" He tilted her head up to meet his eyes.

She blinked, seeing the sapphire beyond her tears. "Aster," she murmured in an undertone, a little surprised but delighted that he had saved her. She knew she would become extremely fond of someone in a short period of time if they were kind and gentle to her, but she felt as if even this was accelerated with him. It was almost like… she'd known him her entire life.

He smiled softly. "Let's get you out of here."

"Okay," she replied, frowning when she turned to inspect the damage she's suffered. "Oh…" The handful of sad feathers left hung far down the shaft, obviously needing to be pulled out. A few tears appeared in her eyes as she mourned the loss, but she knew it could have been far worse. If she had been kept under the water long enough, the blessed water would have eaten away at her like acid. She knew the bone had to look horrid, pulling them close to her self-consciously, even if she figured there was no way the handsome angel in front of her could ever reciprocate her feelings, especially if he knew part of her heart still belonged to another.

"Do you want to see the nurse about your wings?" He murmured, sliding his arm around her shoulder and guiding her out of the building.

She shook her head forlornly. "Ms. Fountain can't have do anything about getting the feathers back, and everything else is fine." In spite of the glaring wish she had for her wings to be fixed again, if only so that he could appriciate the appendages with their seductive attraction, she felt subdued around him, relaxed. She knew he would not hit her, no more than Atticus would have, so she could afford to trust herself in his hands.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." He said, comfortable with leading her to his dorm—damn the consequences.

"It's fine," she whispered. "The fact that you came at all means the world to me." She bit her lip, an unconscious sign of her inner turmoil as she fought over the decision to kiss him or not.

"Of course I came." He replied softly. "I promised I'd never leave you alone. I may have failed in that, but I'll do what it takes to make up for it."

She blushed, her inner mischievous spirit—exactly _why_ it sounded like Chazz, she had absolutely no idea—urged her to say _Love me_. Instead, she shook her head to clear it. "You don't have to hold to that anymore," she murmured softly. "I only asked because you kept my darkness away, but it's gone now. You don't need to keep so close to me."

"I made a promise." He countered gently. "And I keep my promises."

She pouted, looking up at him with pleading ruby eyes. "I don't want to make you do something simply because you promised to. So, could you just do whatever it is your heart tells you to? Please? For me?" It was a strain for her to keep the order out of her request, a large part of her regretting the blood bond because she could never knew if he was doing something for her because she was his Sire or if he truly wanted to do it.

His arm around her shoulders tightened. "I'll do anything you ask. But that doesn't change anything." He smiled crookedly. "You're stuck with me, Bren."

She was nervous, but then again, today was a day of firsts for her. She tugged him to a stop, waiting until he turned to her questioningly before she pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him quickly on the lips. She blushed, shyly dropping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have presumed."

Surprise clouded his face, a gentle smile sliding onto it as well. His fingers lifted to his lips reverently, "Mm... it's all right." _She kissed me..._

"No, it's not!" she insisted, unable to look up at him, her fists clenching at her sides as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "I completely took advantage of you without even taking your feelings into account!" Almost subconsciously, her head moved to the side slightly, as if to make it easier for her to be backhanded across the face.

He gently tilted her chin up to look at him, pressing his lips to hers—soft and slow. When he pulled away, he murmured, "Really Bren, it's okay."

Her eyes were startled, child-like, and she threw herself into his arms, nuzzling at his chest. "I'll be better, I promise," she murmured to herself in a silent undertone. "I _won't _lose you like I did Atty."

* * *

><p>Atticus watched her push up onto her toes, the same way she always would when she wanted a kiss from him, and brush her lips against the silver-haired angel. He felt betrayed at first, an ache in his chest that wasn't quite as fierce as it should've been considering that he still had feelings for the girl he verbally announced as his best friend but mentally considered his soulmate. He felt sorrow for her when she looked down, his familiarity with her telling him that she was apologizing for her brashness, but then his eyes widened as the angel leaned down and locked lips with her once again. He, who was so afraid of losing her that he never dared to ask for more than her friendship after she had broken up with him, had managed the same feat with his inaction. Well, he would not stand for it. "Phoenix!" he called, revealing himself from his hidden position of an observer. He couldn't contain a slight sensation of satisfaction as Branwen turned from her position in Aster's embrace so that she could focus her ruby eyes on him, even if she didn't leave that circle of arms she had settled in.<p>

Aster turned in surprise, looking at the demon with a curious expression. "Yes Atticus?"

He firmed his expression, his usual happy-go-lucky attitude nowhere to be found. In that moment, he regretted pushing the two together when they were dancing, but he had simply been encouraging her, not intending for her to find a replacement for him. "I challenge you for the right to Branwen's heart!"

"That's a bit old-fashioned don't you think?" The angel asked, eyebrow raised. "But nonetheless, I accept your challenge."

"We'll have three rounds," the brunet demon explained. "The first two will be one of each of our choice, but the last one will be of darling Wren's choosing."

"Fine. You can choose first."

He weighed his options for a moment. He would have loved to have chosen surfing, his passion and something he knew he could easily win, but he also knew that if the angel happened to drown during the challenge, Branwen would only get upset. He had, of course, one other option… "Singing contest tomorrow. The school will pick the victor." He would have had her choose, except that she likely would have panicked, like he had a feeling she would the instant Aster directed his attention at her—Atticus himself wasn't foolish enough to make the mistake.

"Fine." The angel replied, resting his chin on Branwen's head. _I'm not the best singer in the world... but I have to try. For Bren_. "Tomorrow then." She tensed under his touch, her entire body taut as a bowstring. He loosened his grip around her, pulling his arms back to his sides and removing his chin from atop her head. "I see..." he murmured.

At the removal of his grip, she ran off in a flurry of red silk. Atticus chuckled dryly. "You see, that's why you don't ever put her in a position where she can affect people's lives with her decisions," he stated wryly. "She panics and runs off like that. I mean, why else would I refrain from touching the girl I love?"

Aster's gaze was stony as he watched her leave. "If that's all, I do believe I'll return to my room."

"Go right ahead," Atticus responded. "But just know this: Branwen is _my _soulmate and I'm not letting her go without a fight."

* * *

><p>"Chazz," a soft voice whispered, waking the demon who slept in Bastion's arms. He groggily opened his obsidian eyes to see the softly-crying form of his best friend.<p>

"Branwen?" he asked, "what are you doing here, and how the hell did you find me here?"

She shook her head, not wanting to explain fully. "Can I sleep with you?" He sighed, using his dark wing to lever Bastion's light ones up and make room for her to slide in beside him. He'd done the same thing to her more than a few times when she was with Atticus, he couldn't resent her for this. She instantly crawled in beside him, settling in. "Thank you," she whispered softly, and the two demons fell asleep once more.

* * *

><p>Die: Remember everyone, reviews motivate me to put this up faster, kick Cali's butt into writing, and maybe even fix my computer better!<p>

Zane: Just get better virus protection, solve the problem.

Die: *glares at him* For your information, I'm gonna do that as soon as I get it back! Sheesh!

Atticus: Yay!

Aster: ... *sighs* Also, if you review, we'll give you some of Branwen's feathers...

Atticus: *interrupts* Or he'll kiss you!

Aster: ... or I'll kiss you, wait what?

Atticus: Ha, you already volunteered, so you have to do it!

Aster: Fine.

Zane: Until the next update, readers, hopefully from Die's laptop.

Die: *is poking the computer screen sadly, obviously missing her computer*


	20. Chapter 18: Holy Twist

Bastion: ... Wow, it's been a while since we've been up on here.

Chazz: I know, I've been loving the break in the insane chic.

*silence*

Jaden: Huh, I thought that would've gotten a responce from her.

Syrus: Nah, she's too busy with her new Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

Jaden: NEW CARDS?

Chazz: Yeah, she got our promo set.

Bastion: Then had a fangasm because she got Ruby Carbuncle and two Cyber Dragons and passed out afterwards.

Jaden: ... I'm still stealing those cards.

Syrus: Neither Cali nor Black Die own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighteen: Holy Twist<p>

Cienna threw her arms around the spikey-haired demon's neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'll miss you, Father." She murmured, making up for the hug she'd missed in the morning. "It was fantastic to see you though." She relinquished her hold on the last of her family-members, smiling fondly at them all. "I love you guys. And I'll miss you." She chuckled. "Don't kill anyone until I get back, okay?" As an after-thought, she added, "And no pidgeon-fights either! From what Syl's said, I've already missed a lot!"

"I REGRET NOTHING!"

"Bakura, Yami had us sleeping on the couch for a week," Mariku pointed out.

"… I regretted that…"

She laughed. "Seriously, though! I want in on the pidgeon fights!" It never crossed her mind how odd (and sadistic) this may sound to Zane. In her family, it was normal.

The demon in question, however, merely shot her a raised eyebrow, having already understood that her family was pretty much a complete mess of psychopaths, with the exceptions of Sylvia, Ryou, Yugi, and maybe Yami. "Come on, **tenshi**," he pronounced. "It's lights out in five minutes, and I'd rather not be locked out of my room tonight."

"All right." She said slowly, threading her fingers through his and turning her back on the ones she loved. She called over her shoulder one last time, "I love you guys!"

"Love you too!" Came the chorus from Ryou, Yugi, and Sylvia. There was a pause, followed by the sound of smacking and faded repeats of the phrase.

She chuckled and leaned against her mate. "My family's insane."

Zane hummed in agreement, scooping her up into his arms and striding back towards the dorms. He wanted her sleeping with him tonight, no arguments.

She leaned her head against his chest, already relaxing. "Determined tonight, are we?" She giggled sleepily.

"I have gone all day with your insane family and friends," he stated. "I want my alone time with my mate, dammit!"

She smiled at that, stretching up to press her lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied when they finally broke, panting for air. "Now let's get some sleep, you're exhausted."

She snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his chest. "Goodnight, Zane." She fell asleep before he could respond, slipping into the land of dreams.

_Lucifer looked troubled as he sat on her bed back in the Ra dorm, playing a white feather around in his fingers._

_"Dad?" Cienna questioned. "Are you alright?"_

_He sighed. "Yeah, just… curious."_

"_About what?" Gabriel asked, striding through the door and sitting beside his demon mate._

"_That girl you picked… Branwen… she has two soulmates."_

_Cienna's eyebrows rose, though the pieces connected easily in her mind. "Ash and Atticus."_

"_Yeah," he murmured. "I'm worried about them… The boys don't realize what they're planning on doing is only going to tear her in two, and what's worse, something doesn't seem right about their destiny."_

_Gabriel's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, love, they seem fine."_

_He sighed, trying to explain it. "It's almost like… there's something that still has to happen before they can fully accept each other, but I can't figure out what…"_

_Cienna shrugged. "I don't know. But I'll do what I need to for Ash. It's the least I can do."_

_The angel frowned at her. "From the sounds of it, Cienna, you shouldn't be taking _any _sides here."_

_"He's my best friend." She shot back. "I have to."_

"_Loyalty to your friends is a good thing, honey, but not when it hurts someone else!" At the sight of normally-composed Gabriel quarrelling with his daughter, Lucifer pulled a container of popcorn out of thin air and avidly began eating it as he watched the two go at it._

_"Hypocrite!" She yelled. "You two are the reason Bastion and Chazz can't be anything without keeping secrets! So don't give me that bullshit!"_

_Gabriel's eyes narrowed dangerously, his ivory feathers bristling. She had crossed a line there. "I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS WRONG, OKAY, BUT I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS STILL AN ANGEL! FEELINGS DON'T CHANGE JUST BECAUSE OF WHO A PERSON IS!" Lucifer offered no comment, mainly because he had choked on the popcorn and was now attempted to catch his breath. "And besides, if it hadn't been us, it would have been someone else!"_

_"My point is you made a choice on loyalty and said damn the consequences. I have every fucking right to make the same choice." Her gaze was surprisingly steady._

"_I never _chose _him based on loyalty, I chose him because it was the right thing to do!"_

"_Gabriel," Lucifer murmured quietly, catching both of their attention. "You… thought I was doing right?"_

_The angel's expression softened and he nodded. "The Council of Elders is corrupt and xenophobic. They needed to be taken down."_

_Cienna sighed, keeping her defrnsive posture. "Is there a point to this? Because if there isn't, I'd love to get back to sleep."_

"_Just please, honey, try to stop whatever it is those two are doing _before _they break her completely." Gabriel's eyes begged her to listen to him just this once._

_"I wasn't planning on letting them hurt her." She returned evenly, still in a bad mood from their fight._

_Lucifer opened his mouth to defend his lover, but Gabriel shook his head. "Let her go," he murmured softly. "It's about time we let her grow up on her own…"_

_She softened under his words. "I love you, Daddy. I do. I just... disagree."_

"_I know that honey, but you're mated now… You don't need us so much anymore," Gabriel murmured softly. "It's about time we moved on in the afterlife. We've put off our eternal rest long enough."_

_Lucifer smiled, waving as the dream faded. "Fare well darling… and don't forget that if you ever need us, we'll be there for you, even if it's not exactly what you'd expect…"_

_Tears filled her eyes. "No, don't leave me!"_

"_We love you so much, Cienna. Never forget that."_

She jerked awake to the sound of her own sobs, tears streaming down her face as she buried her face in Zane's chest. She shook with her sobs, the sheets tangled around her limbs to the point where she couldn't move. Terror consumed her and made her cry harder. The demon, normally groggy when first awakened, ripped the sheets off her, bundling her into his chest and petting her blonde hair and stormy wings. The last time she had awoken in tears, she had told him something that pained her heart. He hoped that something bad hadn't happened, but until he could calm her down, he wouldn't know for sure.

She clutched at him, fingers sliding off of him as she shook. She pressed herself as closely to him as she could, crying harder than she ever had before. She choked out strangled sounds between sobs like she was trying to talk. "Shh, **tenshi**, shh," he soothed, pressing a loving kiss onto the top of her head. "Wait until you're ready, okay?" Searching frantically in his mind for the little knot that was their mating bond, he poured every comforting, warmth thought into it that he could think of, hoping to calm her with it.

The calm washing through their bond was a startling contrast to the turmoil she was feeling. Soft words fell strangled from her lips. "They're gone. They're... they're gone."

"Who's gone, **tenshi**?" he whispered, still worried as he watched and felt her suffer. More than a little concerned, he began sneakily taking her sadness into himself, content to bear the burden if it meant she would calm down and smile again.

She felt the draw—a slight tugging on her soul—and put up a barrier. He didn't need her sadness. "Luci and Gabriel." She whispered into his neck, soft tremors still shaking her.

Her refusal to let him in hurt his ego and his heart, but he pushed aside the lump in his throat for her sake. "It's okay, **tenshi**, it'll be okay. They wouldn't have left you if they hadn't thought you able to bear it."

She pressed a long, searing kiss to his lips, hoping it'd heal the gaps left in her heart. He kissed back, opening his mouth slightly to let her in if she wanted, and rolled over so that she straddled his waist, his wings spread on either side of him.

She groaned softly, weaving her fingers into his hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you." She whispered as if she was aware she'd hurt him with her block.

"Make me forget, **tenshi**," he requested softly. "Let me make you forget your sorrow and your loss, my worry and my pain. Make us forget the world outside of us." She reached down and placed his hands on her hips as she pulled her shirt over her head, crashing her lips to his the second it was off. She pulled on the buttons of his shirt, slipping it down his shoulders in determined caress. He moaned, tugging her skirt off, fingers skimming over whatever skin he could reach before he had to break for air. "I love you," he whispered, staring lovingly into her hazel eyes.

"I love you too." She whispered, running her fingers along his torso. "God doesn't even understand how much I love you."

He snatched her mouth in another kiss. He loved her so much, and since there wasn't any taboo against loving her, he had no regrets about showing her how much he loved her.

* * *

><p>Bastion opened his eyes blearily to the sight of something he certainly didn't expect. Branwen Ravenwood was nestled between him and Chazz, eyes swollen. She'd obviously been crying. He softened for her, pulling both her and Chazz closer. Chazz let out a purr, squirming closer to his mate, while Branwen made a face, curling closer to herself and swatting at the loose black feathers that had come from her bare bone. She twisted about, trying to escape the sensation against her face only to yelp when the tender wings rubbed against the sheets. Bastion let out a small hiss of pain for her, noting the state of her wings with sadness. <em>Holy water? Gods...<em>

"Bastion?" Chazz muttered sleepily, his eyes only half-open.

"Hey," the angel whispered softly. "It's still early. You can sleep if you want."

The demon squirmed over again, shifting Branwen back so that she lay on his other side. "She'd likely be freaking out in the morning if she knew she was right there next to you," he explained tiredly, kissing his partner's collarbone. "I just wonder what scared her enough to want to come sleep with us."

"I don't know." He said with a small sigh. "But I'm going to say it's safe to assume it has something to do with her wings."

Chazz shook his head. "It's not physical pain that scares Branwen or those who cause it," he explained. "It's the emotional pain she hides from."

"I wonder..." Bastion said quietly.

"Wonder what?" The Obelisk was curious.

"If it has anything to do with Aster..."

"It would make sense," he conceded with a yawn, settling himself down. "After all, from the way she acts around him, she really likes him, and considering the fact that the last time she slept with me was back when she split with Atticus, I'd say something went down tonight that made her think she might lose him."

"Hmmm... Well this'll be interesting."

Chazz let out a sleepy hum of agreement, already barely conscious. Deciding to follow his example, Bastion pulled him closer and fell asleep too.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to talk?" Syrus asked quietly, snuggling closer to Jaden.<p>

The brunet nodded. "Um, Sy," he murmured softly, "I have a confession to make. I'm not a demon, and I wasn't an angel. I'm a half-blood."

The angel spluttered. "Wha-what are you talking about? You feel like an angel. Sure, your wings are a little small, but they're too big for a half-blood..."

"Syrus, my dad was _human_. The only reason I even have the aura of a full angel is because Cienna swapped mine with Bastion's." He grinned wryly. "I mean, think about it. It would explain why I'm not so good with magic and stuff, right?"

A full smile grew on the angel's face. "That's fantastic! Now we really _can_ be together!"

"Jaden!" Professor Banner cried, having been attracted to the room by the lights they'd left on. "You're supposed to be at the Obelisk dorms!"

The half-demon cradled his angel closer to him. "No! I won't leave Syrus!"

The blue-haired boy turned pleading eyes on the teacher. "Let him stay the night, please? I promise he'll behave himself."

The man sighed. "I have to escort him back to his dorm, Syrus, it's my job. But I'm almost ready to go to bed, so _if _a certain individual managed to sneak back in here and was out by dawn tomorrow, no one would be any the wiser."

Jaden offered a small smile to the angel, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back." He whispered.

"Oh yes, and Syrus? You have a new roommate who should be here any time now."

"All right." The angel replied softly, staring forlornly after his boyfriend's exiting form.

Jaden waved forlornly as he was being dragged away, the hand on his collar keeping him from running back to the angel, although he kept eyeing Pharaoh, who was in Professor Banner's arms, with a certain glint in his eye that would only mean trouble.

* * *

><p><em>"He really loves you." The voice whispered in her ear, a slim, familiar hand gripping her own. <em>

_Cienna turned, jaw hanging loose. "D-Damian?" She whispered. _

_A sad smile formed on his face, "Hello Princess." Her jaw clenched to fight the tremors shaking it. "W-what are you doing here?" _

_"I came to talk to you." He replied softly, free hand tracing her face. "I've missed you, Princess." _

_His words jerked her venomous words free. "You wouldn't be if you hadn't hung yourself." _

_He flinched, royal purple eyes glazing. "I didn't want to leave you." He whispered as she jerked her hand from his. _

_"But you did." She growled. "You left me and I blamed myself."_

_"It wasn't your fault." He whispered._

"_THEN WHY, WHY THE HELL, DID YOU KILL YOURSELF ON OUR ANNIVERSERY WHEN I ASKED YOU TO MATE WITH ME?" she screamed, the very slightest hint of tears pricking at the corners of her vision._

_"It wasn't about you. It was never about you." He stepped forward, trying to bring her into his arms._

"_Don't _touch _me!" Zane. Zane. Zane. She wanted Zane._

_"Please, Princess, listen to me. It's not your fault. Just let me explain." His dark eyes wavered worriedly. "Just _please_ let me explain."_

"_You won't be explaining anything to her."_

_She looked up, eyes searching. "Zane!"_

_The demon had slipped into her dreams through the mating bond and now stood before her, his dark wings bristling dangerously. For some reason, he was clothed in all black with a long black trenchcoat rather than his usual Obelisk uniform, and as if that wasn't enough, he had some kind of electrodes wired to him as the shadows slunk towards his wings._

_His eyes narrowed. "I just want to talk to her."_

"_I don't care," Zane growled. "You're scaring her." Around him the shadows chittered, a handful of metallic shapes becoming apparent for a moment before they were gone again._

_Cienna tucked herself close to him, resting her head against his chest. "I don't want him here, Zane."_

_"No, Princess." Damian said quietly, pleadingly. "Just hear me out."_

_A mechanical snake came out of the darkness, growling dangerously as its companions, two kinds of dangerous bug-like machines, accompanied it, clinging close to Zane and his shadows even if they avoided Cienna and the little halo of light she gave off. "She does not want you here," he growled. "Leave this place spirit, before my shadows decide to nibble on your soul."_

_Cienna shrank away from Zane. He was starting to scare her too. Damian saw that and smirked. "Looks like she doesn't want you here either."_

_Cienna opened her mouth. "He's my mate."_

_"Yeah, but he scares you right now, Princess. Am I right?"_

_She looked away, afraid to answer. "I love him."_

_"But he scares you."_

_"It doesn't matter." She insisted. "I still love him."_

_Another mechanical creature came forward, larger than the others and akin to more of a dragon than anything, but this one was definitely less threatening. The faux dragon curled around her protectively, its eyes almost daring the spirit to deny her statement._

_The dragon felt more like Zane than Zane did and she relaxed slightly. "Damian, if you care anything for me at all, you'll leave."_

_The spirit gazed at Cienna, purple eyes shimmering. "You'll regret it, Princess."_

_Her jaw firmed. "I think that's up to me."_

_"Fine. Just remember one thing, Cienna. I do love you." And with that, he faded out, gone before he could see the pain and tears in her eyes._

_The three bug-machines welded together, forming one jagged dragon-like machine that was now equal in size to the smooth one in her arms. Zane reached out to stroke the broken creature, his eyes refusing to betray his emotions. "Come," he commanded firmly, turning his back on her as if expecting her to follow._

_In her arms, the soft whirring sound of movement could be heard as the dragon looked up at her with an expression that, in spite of its uniformness, seemed to softly plead for her to follow it instead._

_"I don't follow orders." She murmured, turning her back on him just as he did on her. But she paused. _He seems so broken... he doesn't feel like Zane._ She whimpered softly, torn between trying to fix part of Zane and being comfortable with the Zane she knew. She stroked the neck of the smooth dragon. "Come with me?" She whispered._

_It nodded at her, looking as if it enjoyed the caress. The message inside those eyes, however, was one that seemed more like Zane than anyone else. _Always.

* * *

><p>Atticus groaned and dropped onto his bed. "Dammit. Why does this Phoenix guy have to put her in this position?" <em>It's going to hurt her. But there's no other option<em>. He sighed again. "Gods, Wren, I love you. Why can't you see that?"

Right outside his door, he heard a scream of "WHY THE FUCKING HELL DOES THAT CAT ALWAYS CLAW MY HAND OFF?" Looks like the new roommate Branwen had gotten for him was none other than Jaden Yuki.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Well this'll be fun."

Jaden was thrown in, and the instant he perked back up onto his feet, he blurted "HI-THERE, NICE-TO-MEET-YOU, I'M-JADEN, GOTTA-GO, BYE!" and ran off again.

Atticus laughed outright. "This Yuki kid is going to be fun."

* * *

><p>Syrus sighed, lying back on his bed. He knew Jaden was coming back—it thrilled him to know that he could be with the brunet without breaking taboo—but he still couldn't believe Professor Banner had kicked him out, especially since the man practically <em>knew <em>Jaden'd come back anyway.

A soft knock resounded through the room, obviously not Jaden since he wouldn't give a rat's ass about knocking. It could only be his roommate.

"It's open!" he called, not bothering to get up.

In stepped Aster Phoenix, a suitcase in one hand. He smiled weakly. "Hello. I'm Aster."

Syrus gave him a small smile in return. "You're Cienna's friend, right?" He suddenly shook his head. "Where are my manners?" He offered his hand to the other angel. "Hi, I'm Syrus Truesdale, and I'd like to welcome you to the rickey cockroach-infested over-sized toolshed… I mean, the Slipher Red dorms."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm Cienna's friend. And it's nice to meet you." He dropped his suitcase at the foot of the bed. "Truesdale. Would that make you Zane's little brother?"

"Yeah," he answered shyly. "You know him?"

"I've heard of him. And Cienna talks about him a lot." He plopped down on the bed beside Syrus. "Sorry." He said quietly. "I'm just tired. That's incredibly rude of me. I'll climb up to my bunk."

The blue-haired angel grinned. "It's fine," he reassured. "Jaden and I shared all the time, I'll just go up to his."

"Are you sure?"

Syrus nodded, already moving. "Jay's coming over anyway, so it's probably a good thing he'll be in his own bed tonight."

"-NANANA, JADENMAN!" All of a sudden, the door burst open, revealing a beaming Jaden with his hands on his hips in a vague parody of a superman pose.

"I assume this Jaden." He laughed.

"Sadly, yes." Syrus then turned to his boyfriend, pouting. "JADEN, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU DON'T HAVE SUPERPOWERS BEFORE YOU STOP DOING THAT?"

The brunet demidemon giggled, throwing himself up on the bed beside his love interest. "Silly Syrus, I don't have superpowers. I just go out and save the world with amazing technology I invent myself!"

Aster laughed. "Wow."

Jaden cocked his head to the side. "Why do you smell like my feather?" he asked, pulling out the black item from his pocket.

"What do you mean?" Syrus asked.

"Not you, Sy," he answered, gesturing at Aster. "Him."

"I don't know." He muttered. "I've never even met you before."

"Jaden, that's not even your feather!" the Truesdale exclaimed.

"Yeah, well I found it, so that makes it mine!"

"Jaden, it's _Branwen's _feather!"

"That would explain it." He murmured.

Jaden's mouth fell open. "You mean you… and her…" He fell over, Syrus scrambling to catch him even if he would have only fell onto the bed.

"Well not yet. Atticus and I are fighting for the right to her heart." He said, offering a sigh.

"Aw, that's so romantic!" Syrus cooed. "Do you think she'll choose you?"

"I don't know." He mumbled. "It's pretty even, admittedly."

The brunet demon stared at him in shock. "You mean you accepted the challenge _without even knowing if you were going to have a chance at winning?_" he yelped, green eyes wide.

"It's a three-round challenge. One of his choice, one of mine, and one of Bren's. Hopefully I can win at least two. But either way, Bren picks the winner." He shrugged. "It's not like I could turn him down."

Syrus cocked his head to the side. "Do you know what the first challenge is?"

"Singing."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No requisites, no idea what you're singing, nothing?"

"I'm working on it." He said. "I just got the challenge half an hour ago. All I know is that I'm singing against Rhodes and the school decides the winner."

Jaden looked thoughtful. "Yes Jay?" Syrus asked, staring at his lover.

"Well…" he said slowly, "knowing that Branwen and Atticus had a history together, he'll likely be trying to sing something to her to try to convince her that he wants what they had before, which would mean that you're trying to sing something to really win her over." At their looks, he flushed self-consciously. "What? Just because it's the school deciding doesn't mean that Atticus won't play to _her_… or that the students won't take her own opinion into their vote."

"Any suggestions?" The angel asked. "Music isn't exactly my forte."

"A love song!" Jaden declared, bouncing. "Something to reach her sitting there in the front row and remind her exactly why she likes you!"

"But you should probably be a little careful," Syrus cautioned. "From what I've seen of her, she's really shy, and since it's known that she and Atticus used to be together, she'll likely be a little more allowing for him than she would be for you."

"Yeah. You're probably right." He sighed, running his hands through his hair worriedly. "I can't screw this up."

"Hey," Syrus soothed. "She and Atticus must've broken up for a reason, right? I mean, she wouldn't have given you a chance otherwise."

Jaden was still hyped up on the idea of the love song. "There should be rose petals and glitter, and ooooh, a guitar would be _perfect!_"

"Jaden?"

"Yeah?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Okay!"

Aster chuckled. "It's all right."

"Well in that case then," Jaden said, sobering up slightly, "why not use the same song my dad used to woo my mom?"

"Which is?"

"The Way You Make Me Feel!"

"That's a good try there, Jaden," Syrus allowed, "but I don't think Michael Jackson is really Aster's style."

"Thanks but I don't think so..." He murmured, suddenly brightening. "But I think I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Aster: Hey, where's Die?<p>

Chazz: We just went over this in the intro. I'm not doing this again. *stomps off with Bastion following*

Atticus: Huh, wonder what got into him.

Aster: Hell if I know.

Zane: STOP STEALING MY CARDS, WOMAN! *chucks Die out from his room*

Die: *lands on her butt* Ow! *turns to make sure her new deck made it*

Atticus: Please review! If you do, we'll give you whatever cards we can steal from Die!

Aster: And be sure to yell at Cali, she's been slacking off again.

Die: Have a happy Valentine's Day everyone! May you shoot lots of couples with arrows!

Atticus: You mean love arrows right?

Die: ... Yeah... sure... whatever...

Atticus: Right?

Aster: *ends the chapter before Atticus' childhood innocence can be lost*


End file.
